Government air raids in a northwestern town in Syria and a subsequent crash by a Syrian warplane that slammed into a residential area there killed at least 17 people on Monday, activists said.
The raids on the town of Ariha came amid intense clashes between Government forces and insurgents in the northwestern province of Idlib and the central region of Hama.
The town, once a Government stronghold, was captured by Opposition fighters and Islamic militants in May. Government forces have suffered setbacks in Idlib province since March, including the loss of the provincial capital of the same name.
An activist group known as the local Coordination Committees said the warplane crashed in a busy market, adding that it was not immediately clear whether it was shot down. The lCC said 27 people were killed and many others were wounded.