Scores killed in blast targeting Syria's rebel-held Jisr al-Shughur

At least 12 people have been killed and dozens of others have been injured in an explosion in the rebel-held city of Jisr al-Shughour in northern Idlib province in Syria.

The explosion took place near a market in the centre of the city.

There are conflicting reports as to the cause of explosion, with some reports claiming that it was the result of a car bomb, while some claimed it was the result of a rocket barrage.

Rocket attacks and shelling on opposition-held Idlib province by Syrian regime and Russia are a daily occurrence despite the signing of a Russian and Turkish sponsored ceasefire in September.

Seven people were killed on Tuesday when the city of Khan Sheikhoun in southern Idlib province was shelled.

In another development, the formerly al-Qaeda affiliated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which controls most of Idlib province, said that its fighters had killed 10 Syrian regime troops in the village of Hakoura in Hama province.

In the district of Nahr Aisha in south Damascus, six people were killed in an explosion, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

Around half a million people have been killed in the Syrian conflict, which broke out in 2011, mostly by regime bombardment of civilian areas.