A ceasefire in northern Syria agreed between Russia and Turkey came into force on Friday, aiming to halt intense fighting that has sparked a humanitarian disaster and raised fears of their armies clashing.

Turkey and Russia reached agreement on a ceasefire in Syria's northwestern Idlib province to take effect at midnight, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Thursday after talks with counterpart Vladimir Putin in Moscow. 

"At 00.01 tonight, as in, from midnight, the ceasefire will be put in place," Erdogan said at a news  conference after the summit.

Britain's Supreme Court on Thursday said it had rejected an application by Dubai's ruler to challenge a decision to publish rulings relating to a legal battle with his estranged wife.

A senior US official on Thursday called on Europe to support Turkey's military operation in Syria, where it has lost more than 50 soldiers trying to hold back a Russian-backed offensive on the last rebel stronghold.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan began talks in Moscow on Thursday aimed at defusing the crisis in Syria's northwestern province of Idlib.

An airstrike on a rebel-held village in northwestern Syria hit a poultry farm where several displaced families were taking shelter early Thursday, killing at least 15 people including children and wounding several others, opposition activists said.

The activists blamed Russian warplanes for the strike on Maaret Musreen village, which is home to thousands of internally displaced people.

Syrian air defense responded to Israeli missiles targeting the south and center of the country, state media said early Thursday.

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkey's Recep Tayyip Erdogan should define an area inside Syria that would be safe for refugees and aid organisations, a spokeswoman for Chancellor Angela Merkel said Wednesday.

A 22-year-old Syrian man is in police custody suspected of people smuggling after Cypriot authorities brought 101 Syrian migrants safely to shore, police said Wednesday.

European countries must support Turkey's "solutions" in Syria if they want to resolve the migration crisis, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said Wednesday, accusing Europe of "trampling" on refugees' rights.