Seven volunteers with the Syrian civil defence rescue service were killed in a shooting by unidentified attackers in rebel-held Idlib province on Saturday, the civil defence said on its Twitter feed.

The attackers stole two vehicles and other equipment in the incident targeting a civil defence office in the town of Sarmin at dawn. Idlib province in northwestern Syria is controlled by Syrian rebels groups.

It was reported by the group that among the dead was one volunteer, Mohammad Deeb Al Hir, who was involved in the rescue of a baby in Idlib in September 2016.

The civil defence, otherwise known as the "White Helmets", operates in rebel-held areas of Syria.