Syrians gather amidst destruction in Zardana, in the mostly rebel-held northern Syrian Idlib province, in the aftermath of following air strikes in the area late on June 8, 2018. (AFP PHOTO)

MOSCOW, June 8 (Xinhua) -- The Russian Defense Ministry on Friday refuted allegations that the recent airstrike in Syria which killed dozens of people was conducted by a Russian warplane, Russian media reported.

The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said earlier that a Russian warplane attacked a Syrian village in the rebel-held Idlib province on June 7, killing at least 44 people so far, one of the highest death tolls on the region this year.

The defense ministry was quoted as saying in a statement that all the reports issued by the organization as well as the non-governmental Syrian Civil Defense (the White Helmets) claiming that Russia should be held accountable for the deadly incident are "untrue."

According to available information, there was fierce fighting in the past 24 hours between militants of the al-Nusra Front terrorist organization and Jaysh al-Ahrar opposition fighters with the use of heavy artillery guns, the ministry said.

The Syrian armed conflict broke out in 2011 and quickly turned into a full-fledged war, which has killed about half a million people so far.

Russia started participating in anti-terrorist operation in Syria in September 2015 at the invitation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, predominantly with missile strikes in support of the Syrian army.