Air strikes kill 14 civilians in Syria

BEIRUT: Air strikes killed at least 14 civilians and wounded dozens more on Friday in a rebel-held town in northern Syria, a war monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights could not say whether the raids on Orum al-Kubra in Aleppo province were carried out by regime or allied Russian aircraft. "A series of air strikes on the town killed 14 civilians, including three children, and left dozens of people injured," said Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman.

"The toll may rise... because people are trapped under the rubble," Abdel Rahman told AFP. The strikes came as heavy bombardment slammed into the neighbouring province of Idlib, held by jihadists and rebels.

At least nine civilians were killed Friday in that shelling, said Abdel Rahman. Syria’s rebel-held northwest borders Turkey and includes Idlib province, part of Hama province and part of Aleppo province. Idlib is its main city.

Rebel-held parts of northern Hama province have been shelled intensively in recent weeks. Hundreds of thousands of Assad opponents have relocated to northwest Syria under evacuation agreements reached as other parts of the country fell to pro-government forces backed by Russia and Iran.

Assad has indicated it could be his next target. The Observatory has said additional government forces have been arriving this week for a possible attack in area to the southwest of the opposition territory.

On Thursday the Syrian army dropped leaflets over opposition-held Idlib province, urging people to agree to a return of state rule and telling them the seven-year war was nearing its end.

The Observatory said the air strikes were the first to hit the area in almost a month and could be seen as "preparation for an offensive". The United Nations worries that an offensive against the area could force 2.5 million people towards the Turkish border.