The regime of Bashar Assad attacked Syria's opposition-held Idlib province on Sunday night, using banned white phosphorus bombs.

Footage obtained by Daily Sabah allegedly shows the regime dropping 18 phosphorus bombs on the town of Khan Shaykhun in southern Idlib. The attacks were reportedly launched from the nearby town of Maan.

The use of white phosphorus is forbidden under international law. Phosphorus, which poisons humans when inhaled, causes major damage to the brain and lungs and can lead to death. When used, white phosphorus creates a cloud of thick white smoke that can melt through the human flesh.

The regime has been repeatedly recorded using phosphorus against civilians and opposition fighters across Syria.

Since late April, Idlib has come under relentless bombardment by the Assad regime and its ally Russia, which so far killed nearly 500 civilians. The violence has forced around 330,000 people to flee their homes and has damaged 23 health centers, the United Nations said.

Being the opposition's last enclave, Idlib's prewar population of 1.5 million has swelled to around 3 million with new refugee waves after it was designated a "de-escalation zone" under the Astana agreement between Turkey, Russia and Iran in May 2017 to pave the way for a permanent political solution in Syria.

Turkey and Russia inked a deal for a buffer zone in September in Sochi to prevent a massive regime offensive on the Idlib region, near the Turkish border.

Following eight months of calm provided by the Sochi deal, the Assad regime intensified its attacks starting April 26 under the pretext of fighting Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants holed up in Idlib.

Regime arrested nearly 1,500 people in 2019, half vanished

In parallel to relentless bombardment in Idlib, the regime continues to oppress dissent voices in its territories, arresting huge numbers of people without charges.

A report by the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) revealed that Assadtarget="_blank"'>