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Syrian Army Makes Gains on Last Rebel Stronghold as Russia Brings Reinforcements
(Reuters) Suleiman Al-Khalidi - Russia and the Syrian army stepped up aerial raids on northwest Syria as they bolster a major offensive against the last big rebel stronghold, opposition sources, army defectors and residents said on Friday. The Russian-led alliance took three towns in southern Idlib, pushing closer into densely populated parts of Idlib province where millions of people who fled fighting elsewhere in Syria have taken refuge. "There are daily reinforcements coming from the Iranian militias, elite [Syrian] Republican Guards units and Fourth Armored Division," Colonel Mustafa Bakour, a commander in the Jaish al Izza rebel group, told Reuters. Russian jets flying at high altitudes dropped bombs on the outskirts of Idlib city, the capital of the province. A relentless aerial campaign against civilian areas since April has knocked down dozens of hospitals, schools and civil defense centers and has paralyzed life in rebel-held areas. Over half a million civilians have been uprooted in the course of the offensive and the UN say hundreds have been killed.