Syrian regime forces have launched a new offensive against opposition forces on the outskirts of the city of Aleppo.

The fighting comes after claims by Syrian regime state television of at least three deaths due to opposition shelling of a district, and just two days after the Syrian regime army gained full control of Aleppo city.

At least six civilians were also killed on Saturday in air strikes on the opposition-held town of Atareb, west of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The SOHR, a UK-based information office that has been documenting human-rights abuses in Syria, said at least two children were among the dead.

The SOHR could not immediately specify who had carried out the air raids, but Russian and regime warplanes typically carry out raids in Aleppo province.

An AFP correspondent in Atareb said military aircraft could be seen circling above the town and a nearby village throughout the day.

Al Jazeera's Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Turkey's Gazientep near the border with Syria, said the new wave of air strikes were concentrated on eastern, southern and northern outskirts of Aleppo, appearing to be aimed at keeping opposition forces away from the recaptured city.

"People are concerned because there are thousands of civilians who are still trapped on the outskirts of Aleppo, particularly those who have been evacuated from eastern Aleppo," he said.

"If the fighting continues, that could further exacerbate the situation."

Russia launched its air war in support of Bashar al-Assad's forces in September 2015.

PHOTO CAPTION

Civil defense members work at a site hit at night by an airstrike in Saraqeb, in rebel-held Idlib province, Syria December 11, 2016. Picture taken December 11, 2016. REUTERS

Al-Jazeera