Armed conflict between government and rebel factions in northern Syria ahead of earthquake tears that claimed tens of thousands of lives. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that gunfire broke out in northwestern Syria on Thursday. Government forces under Bashar al-Assad’s regime fired shells at rebels in the city of Atarib, and the rebels retaliated, the UK-based monitoring group reported.
The same situation exists in the government-controlled city of Saraqib. Earthquake relief efforts are ongoing in both countries. An earthquake struck northern Syria and southern Turkey on the 6th of this month. More than 100 truckloads of aid arrived in Syria on Friday, UN Aid said. The emphasis is now on resettlement of those who have lost their homes.