(Zaman Al Wasl)- Syrian artillery killed a child and wounded dozen in northern Idlib province as regime forces step up its aerial and ground offensive on northwestern Syria, local activists said Wednesday.
The attacks targeted the town of Khan Sheikhoun and al-Tamana'.
In retaliation, the National Liberation Front, key rebel group in Idlib, said it had attacked the regime bastions in the northern countryside of Hama.
For five days, the regime warplanes have been carrying out tens of airstrikes, pounding the southern countryside of Idlib and northern countryside of Hama.
About 67 civilians killed in Idlib province since Friday, 30 of them were killed by the Russian airstrikes, and thirty others killed in a huge explosion struck an arms depot.
Syria's regime dropped leaflets across the province Thursday urging residents to reconcile with its rule. Officials have warned that government forces will take back the province by force if necessary.
The U.N. children's agency says a battle for Idlib province between regime forces and the rebels could affect the lives of more than 1 million children, many of whom live in refugee camps.
UNICEF says food, water and medicine are already in short supply in the largely rural northwestern province, now home to over 1 million Syrians who have been displaced from their homes by government offensives across the country.
The agency says a battle for Idlib, the last major bastion for Syria's political and military opposition, would exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation, and potentially displace 350,000 children.
Zaman Al Wasl
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