BEIRUT, LEBANON (6:00 P.M.) – At least a half dozen civilians were killed in the northwestern countryside of the Hama Governorate on Sunday, a source in the area told Al-Masdar News.

According to the source, the civilians were killed when the militants fired several artillery shells and missiles towards the Christian city of Sqaylabiyeh near the Idlib Governorate border.

Among the six civilians killed on Sunday were five children and one woman. Several others were badly wounded as a result of this indiscriminate attack on Suqaylabiyeh.

Typically, when the militants assault either Sqaylabiyeh or Mhardeh, two Christian cities in Hama, the Russian Air Force responds by launching airstrikes against the militants responsible for the attack.

Sqaylabiyeh is home to one of Syria’s largest National Defense Forces (NDF) factions and the famous “ISIS Hunters” unit. The city also has one of the largest Christian (predominately Antiochian Orthodox) populations inside Syria.