Rebels fire 20 missiles on gov't positions in central Syria

The shelling targeted the Masyaf area in the western countryside of Hama province, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The UK-based watchdog group said there are no reports on losses from the rebels' shelling.

Meanwhile, the watchdog group said the incident is the latest escalation in that region that combine areas in the countryside of Hama, the nearby Idlib province and the countryside of Aleppo and Latakia provinces in northern Syria.

It said the military showdown has been dragging on in that region for over 80 days amid battles and shelling between the Syrian forces and an array of rebel groups in that region.

It's worth noting that Idlib and the surrounding areas are the last major rebel strongholds in Syria.

Meanwhile, the Observatory said that around 19 people were killed and tens of more wounded in Russian airstrikes against the rebel-held Maarat al-Numan city in the countryside of Idlib earlier on Monday.

For its side, the state news agency SANA said that four civilians were wounded in rebel's shelling targeting the town of Al-Suqaylabiyah in the northern countryside of Hama on Monday.

The situation in Idlib, which is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria, has been escalating since April when a Russian and Turkish-backed de-escalation zones' deal failed to materialize.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the umbrella group of the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front, has been engaged in battles with the Syrian army in Idlib countryside and the adjacent northern countryside of the central province of Hama.