More than 235,000 flee northwest Syria flare-up: UN

BEIRUT

More than 235,000 people have fled the Idlib region over the past two weeks, the UN said on Dec. 27, amid heightened regime and Russian attacks on Syria's last major opposition bastion.

The mass displacement between 12 and 25 December has left the violence-plagued Maaret al-Numan region in southern Idlib "almost empty," the UN said in a statement.

Since mid-December, Russian-backed regime forces have pressed with an assault on jihadists in southern Idlib, despite an August ceasefire deal and calls for a de-escalation from Turkey, France and the United Nations.

The increased airstrikes came as Russian-backed regime forces advance on the ground.

The bombardment and clashes have amplified displacement from Maaret al-Numan and the nearby town Saraqeb in the southern Idlib region, the UN said.

"People from Saraqab and its eastern countryside are now fleeing in anticipation of fighting directly affecting their communities next," a statement said.

The war in Syria has killed more than 370,000 people and displaced millions since it began with anti-government demonstrations brutally crushed by security forces.