Smoke rises after airstrikes by the Syrian army in Raqqa, Nov. 25.

DAMASCUS — At least 63 people, half of them civilians, were killed when Syrian war planes struck the northeastern city of Raqqa on Tuesday, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which monitors the war in Syria.

Rami Abdulrahman, who runs the Britain-based Observatory, said 10 war planes struck at least 10 times in Raqqa, a stronghold of the “Islamic State.”

Raqqa has been dubbed as the unofficial capital of the extremists, who run all aspects of life in the city, including residential services and a prison system.

“The majority of the strikes were in the eastern part of the city,” Abdulrahman said, quoting residents and activists in the city. “At least 36 of those killed are civilians. As for the rest, we are not sure yet if they were fighters.”

IS, which has seized wide expanses of territory in Iraq and Syria, drove the last Syrian government forces out of Raqqa province in late August. Its fighters seized an air base then, capturing and later executing scores of Syrian soldiers.

Raqqa has been the target of several air strikes by a U.S.-led coalition aimed at weakening and destroying the ultra-hardline group in Iraq and Syria. A U.S. official said the coalition did not carry out any air strikes on Raqqa in the last 24 hours.

An IS fighter in the province confirmed that the government carried out the air strikes, which he said killed at least 70 people.

The Syrian air force has increased its strikes across Syria since the U.S.-led coalition started attacking Islamic State positions inside Syria in September.

Analysts say the increase could be because the Syrian military wants to weaken rebel groups before they get training and equipment promised by the United States.

Meanwhile, Russian President Vladimir Putin met Syrian Foreign Minister Walid al-Moualem in Russia’s Black Sea resort of Sochi for talks Wednesday, the Kremlin said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Putin and Muallem were discussing “bilateral relations,” declining further comment.

Muallem’s two-day visit to Russia, a key ally of Assad, appears to be the latest move in a renewed diplomatic effort by Moscow to restart peace talks aimed at seeking a solution to the Syria crisis.

But Western diplomats and analysts say the push is not likely to bear fruit because of splits over the fate of Assad.

Muallem was also due to meet Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov. 

-Reuters, TAAN