Russian airstrikes on north-west Syria killed an elderly man overnight, the first such casualty since Moscow declared a ceasefire in the region on August 31st, AFP reported Wednesday (September 11th).

The truce, which brought a halt to four months of devastating bombardment by the regime and its ally Russia on Idlib province, had held despite persistent skirmishes on the ground.

But on Tuesday, Russia carried out its first airstrikes in the area since the ceasefire began, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Bombardment continued before dawn on Wednesday in the village of al-Daher where a 75-year-old man was killed, the Observatory said, adding that the air raids had since stopped.

The victim -- Ahmad Issa al-Moussa -- had been displaced to Idlib from Aleppo several years ago, an AFP correspondent said.

"We were asleep... when we heard the sound of a missile falling 50 metres away," said Abu Anas, the victim's son.

Abu Anas said his father was slow to evacuate their home because of difficulty walking, and died when a second airstrike hit two metres away from him.

Tahrir al-Sham controls most of Idlib as well as parts of neighbouring Aleppo and Latakia provinces.