<human>:  What is the latest news about the Syrian civil war?
<bot>: The latest news about the Syrian civil war is that the fighting has escalated in the northwest of the country in recent weeks. A fragile ceasefire agreement that was agreed in late 2018 is barely holding and has been repeatedly violated by both sides. There are hundreds of thousands of civilians who are caught up in the fighting, and the UN reports that there are increasing reports of civilian casualties.