DAMASCUS, Oct. 24 (Xinhua) -- Russian shelling targeted a rebel-held area in Syria's northern province of Aleppo overnight, killing six and wounding 17 others, a war monitor reported on Saturday.

The Russian forces in the Russian-run base of Hmeimim in the northwestern province of Latakia bombarded an area where the rebels refine crude oil in the northeastern countryside of Aleppo, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The targeted area is controlled by Turkey-backed rebels, the UK-based watchdog group added.

The death toll could likely rise due to the number of critically wounded rebels.

In addition, the war monitor also reported that Russian warplanes and Syrian helicopters carried out airstrikes on the Islamic State (IS) positions in the desert region in the eastern countryside of Hama province in central Syria on Saturday.

The airstrikes are coupled with battles on the ground between the Syrian forces and IS militants in Hama as the IS militants have been waging attacks on the Syrian forces intensively over the past four days, succeeding to capture a military position and gears, it said.

Over the past 90 hours of battles and shelling, 39 Syrian soldiers and pro-government fighters have been killed as well as 22 IS militants, said the UK-based watchdog group. Enditem

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