White Helmet rescuers dig out a victim from under rubble after pro-Assad attack on northwest Syria, May 2019

Russia has announced a pause in the Russian-regime offensive to retake part of northwest Syria, but airstrikes continued on Sunday night, killing more civilians.

The Russian Center for “Reconciliation” in Syria said Assad regime forces had ceased attacks as of midnight in Idlib and northern Hama Province, the last major opposition area in Syria.

However, local activists reported Russian strikes on Kafranbel, west of the M5 highway in Idlib, on Sunday night.

The White Helmets civil defense said at least 9 civilians, including five children and two women, were killed and 10 others wounded in 10 Russian attacks. They posted photos of search and rescue operations in destroyed buildings.

An unconfirmed report said Khan Sheikhoun was also hit.

Both Kafranbel and Khan Sheikhoun — the site of a deadly sarin attack in April 2017 — have been regularly bombarded since pro-Assad forces escalated attacks from mid-February.

The Russian-regime offensive began May 6, shattering a demilitarized zone declared by Moscow and Turkey last September.

Hundreds of civilians have been killed in the past three months. The UN said last week that up to 160 were slain since late April, with another 180,000 people displaced and at least 18 medical facilities destroyed or damaged.

The UN estimates 3 million people — about 20% of Syria’s remaining population — live in Idlib and northern Hama Provinces. Many of them have been displaced by pro-Assad assaults and forced transfers from other parts of the country.