At least 8 people killed Wednesday in Russian airstrikes on Idlib province to increase the death toll to 50 in five days of airstrikes, volunteer rescuing group said.
The Civil Defense group said the cluster bombs' victims were displaced people sheltering in Deir Sharqi village. Regime warplanes have also targeted Ariha and Sarja towns.
On Tuesday, 5 people killed and 10 more wounded in Russian airstrikes hit Jisr al-Shughour overnight.
The civil Defense said Russia have conducted 16 raids on the rebel-held city that neighbors the Alawites-dominated villages in Latakia province. The regime artillery has also pounded the al-Jisr.
A well-informed source told Zaman al-Wasl that about 20,000 fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad had been mobilized in government-held area sin al-Ghab Plain and Latakia province to launch major offensive on Jisr al-Shughour,
The ongoing battles northeast Hama have delayed the offensive on Jisr-al-Shughour in Idlib province that was planned to begin on March 20, source added.
Meanwhile, more than 40,000 people, mainly women and children, have been displaced by fighting in Hama countryside, the United Nations said Tuesday.
Also, the U.S.-led coalition airstrikes took part on Monday, killing 6 people, including senior commander from Haya't Tahrir al-Sham in Idlib, sources told Zaman al-Wasl.
The strike targeted a car carrying Abu Jaber al-Hamwi, senior commander in the powerful alliance that includes former al-Qaeda group, Jabhat Fateh al-Sham, formerly known as Nusra Front, near Sarmada town.
Idlib is one of the most important strongholds of rebels, including jihadist factions, who seek to overthrow Bashar al-Assad, whose air force, along with that of his ally Russia, has been heavily bombarding insurgents there.
The population of Idlib has been swelled by refugees including many of those who have left rebel-held enclaves elsewhere in the country after the army and its allies forced them to surrender.
The peaceful demonstrations that ended up with deadly war carried out by the Syrian regime and key regional players has killed at least 465,000 people, including 150,000 children and has displaced over 12 million people
