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Syrian and Russian air strikes killed at least 25 people across north-western Syria on Sunday, The National said on Monday, citing the White Helmets civil defence group. The deaths were reported amid a second day of intense bombardment against a shock insurgency.

Ten children were among the dead, with at least 125 people injured in the strikes on Idlib and areas surrounding the city, as well as Aleppo. The Syrian army said it intensified strikes, conducted in co-ordination with Russian jets, on Idlib after the insurgency began in Aleppo last week.

At least 56 people have been killed so far across Idlib and Aleppo, the White Helmets said, including 20 children. Seven people were killed in a strike on a crowded residential area in Idlib city centre on Sunday, residents told Reuters. At least 71 people were killed in attacks on Idlib and its surrounding areas, including air strikes on displacement camps, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

Thousands of civilians have fled their homes since insurgents swept into Aleppo on Friday, forcing the army to move to new positions, in the biggest challenge to Syrian President Bashar Al Assad in years. The army said dozens of soldiers were killed in the attack, during which government-held areas of the city fell to militant groups, including Turkey-backed Hayat Tahrir Al Sham, for the first time since 2016.