At least 17 civilians have been killed in an air strike on a basement shelter in south-western Syria, activists say, as warplanes pound rebel-held areas.
A monitoring group reported that five children were among those who died when aircraft identified as Russian bombed Musayfira, east of the city of Deraa.
Russia is backing an army offensive in the region, which borders Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights.
More than 90 civilians are said to have been killed since it began 11 days ago.
The provinces of Deraa and Quneitra had been relatively calm for almost a year because of a “de-escalation” agreement brokered by the US and Jordan, which support the opposition, and Russia, a key ally of the government.
However, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad set his sights on retaking them after defeating rebels in the Eastern Ghouta region outside Damascus in April.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said Musayfira was targeted by at least 35 Russian air strikes on Thursday, and that one hit a basement where civilians were taking shelter.
The UK-based monitoring group said 17 people were killed in the attack. But local activists and the Syrian opposition's chief negotiator, Nasr al-Hariri, put the death toll at more than 20.
Air strikes in the towns of Nawa, Dael and Kharaba left another six people dead,…
