Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime has carried out a number of fresh attacks on opposition strongholds in Deraa, in the south, and Idlib in the northern part of the country.

The latest attacks occurred on 3 April, just one day after UN envoy Kofi Annan announced that Al-Assad had agreed to withdraw his forces from urban areas as part of the UN-Arab League peace plan, which was due to be implemented by 10 April.

As part of the proposed UN-Arab League peace initiative, 250 international monitors will be sent to Syria to oversee the implementation of the plan.

Meanwhile, Gulf states have agreed to set up a multi-million dollar fund to pay salaries to members of the Syrian opposition forces. The Gulf states will set a up a fund to donate millions of dollars a month to pay salaries and provide aid for opposition soldiers. Defecting soldiers from President Al-Assad’s regime will also be paid, according to the Syrian National Council (SNC).

According to the UN, at least 9,000 people are estimated to have been killed in the unrest in Syria that began in March last year.