In heavy fighting in the province of Idlib in northwestern Syria, more than 90 people have been killed since Saturday, according to activists. Syrian government troops led by President Bashar al-Assad have been causing heavy fighting for rebels in Idlib over the weekend, the Syrian Human Rights Observatory based in the United Kingdom said.
The troops received support from Russian and Syrian fighters and artillery. Syrian government troops had begun an offensive against the last major rebel stronghold in Idlib and the neighboring province of Hama at the end of April.
Thousands of people fled
In recent months, the government has brought strategic areas under their control. The rebel territory is controlled by the al-Qaeda-affiliated militia Haiat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). Syria and its ally Russia argue with the attacks to fight terrorists. Thousands of people took refuge in the course of the fighting.
The number of casualties over the weekend was the highest since the ceasefire came into effect in August, the Center’s activists said. According to activists in Idlib, the battles and air raids again displaced people who fled towards the Syrian-Turkish border. The observatory spoke of hundreds of air raids since Friday.
The rescue organization White Helmets said on Twitter, Russian and Syrian fighter planes had reinforced their attacks again. The jets attacked markets in Sarakib and Marat al-Numan in the east and south of Idlib.
