Car blast, air strikes hit Syria's Idlib city - monitor

A car bomb exploded in the rebel-held Syrian city of Idlib on Saturday, a war monitor and opposition news channel said, as air strikes hit its outskirts in a government offensive on the last major opposition bastion. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said a car blew up in the al-Qusoor neighbourhood. The opposition-run Orient News said the blast killed one and wounded some others.

Idlib province, of which Idlib is the main city, is in northwest Syria and forms part of the last big rebel stronghold in Syria. A new push by Syrian government forces to take the area has seen heavy strikes and advances this week in the south of Idlib province and nearby Hama, prompting a new civilian exodus. Hundreds of people have been killed in the campaign since late April, the United Nations says.

Idlib city itself has largely been spared air strikes since a major bombing campaign on the territory began in late April, but on Saturday its outskirts were hit from the air, the Observatory and opposition media said. Heavy strikes continued to hit the south of Idlib province.

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