BEIRUT: At least 15 civilians and four soldiers were killed on Tuesday in the besieged central Syrian city of Homs, which has been undergoing heavy shelling by government troops, activists said.

“At least nine civilians, including a woman, were killed by gunfire and shelling as (troops) attempt an assault on the Khaldiyeh neighbourhood of the city,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a statement.

The Britain-based group said four Syrian troops were killed in the assault while six other civilians were killed in shelling on the Baba Amr neighborhood.