(Zaman Al Wasl)- Russia's warplanes on Friday have extended its aerial campaign on northern idlib province, striking an array of villages under rebels control despite international warning of humanitarian disaster, activists said.
The strikes targeted rebels-held areas in northern countryside of Idlib and and the southern side of Hama province.
At least 15 civilians killed in the Russian airstrikes on Idlib in the past 72 hours as hundreds of civilians have been fleeing villages near the front line in Idlib fearing an imminent regime assault on the country's last major rebel bastion.
The United Nations has expressed fears that a full-scale offensive in Idlib could displace up to 800,000 people from their homes.
UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura has urged the major powers to intervene to prevent a "bloodbath".
The presidents of Iran, Russia and Turkey meet Friday in Tehran for a summit set to decide the future of Idlib.
Neighbouring Turkey, which has long backed Syrian rebels, fears the assault could prompt an influx of desperate Syrians attempting to find safety on its territory.
But regime backers Russia and Iran have sworn to wipe out "terrorists" and Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has declared his determination to retake control of the entire country.
Ankara, Moscow and Tehran are also guarantors of the Astana process, a track of negotiations that has eclipsed the UN-led Geneva process and helped Assad re-assert his authority over the country.
The UN Security Council is also meeting Friday, at Washington's request, to discuss the situation in Idlib.
Both the US and Russia say they are fighting jihadist groups in Syria and there was periodic cooperation between the two countries against the same jihadist groups operating in Idlib until mid-2017.
On Thursday, the new US envoy for Syria said there was “lots of evidence” that the Syrian government was preparing to use chemical weapons in Idlib.
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Jim Jeffrey, who was named Secretary of State Mike Pompeo's special adviser on Syria cautioned that, "any offensive is to us objectionable as a reckless escalation".
While US President Donald Trump had signaled that he wanted US forces out of Syria, in April he agreed to keep troops there a little longer.
Trump will chair a UN Security Council meeting on Iran during an annual gathering of world leaders in New York later this month, which is expected to focus on Tehran’s nuclear programme and its involvement in the Syrian war.
France has invited the US, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Germany and Britain for talks on the sidelines of the UN meeting to discuss Syria.
Idlib's population has swelled as the regime chalked up a series of victories in other parts of the country, reaching evacuation deals that saw tens of thousands of people bussed to the northwestern province.
Russia has conducted a massive naval build-up in the Mediterranean near Syria as Assad’s regime forces are amassing around the northeastern province for a likely ground assault.
The timing and scope of any attack remain unclear, but healthcare and aid workers are preparing to cope for the worst.
The UN has warned of a "bloodbath" in the province, fearing that an offensive will cause a humanitarian catastrophe unprecedented since the beginning of the Syrian conflict, which has left more than 350,000 people dead since 2011.
French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian warned Thursday of the risk of humanitarian disaster in Idlib, describing the province as a "ticking time bomb, both in humanitarian and security terms".
More than half of Idlib province is controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a jihadist alliance led by Syria's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, while Turkish-backed rebels hold much of the rest.
Regime forces recaptured much of the southeast of the province at the start of the year.
Zaman Al Wasl, Agencies
Zaman Al Wasl
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