Syrians flee in panic before Idlib "breaks out"
Hundreds of Syrian civilians have fled Idlib, fearing a new round of fighting, as the presidents of Russia, Iran and Türkiye meet to decide the fate of the last rebel-held bastion in Syria.
Syrian government forces and their allies have massed troops around Idlib, ready to strike at rebel groups there.
Western powers have warned against the offensive but Damascus and Moscow appear adamant that force is needed to dislodge the jihadists who dominate Idlib. Air strikes to pave the way for the offensive have been carried out by Russian and Syrian planes in recent days, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The bombings sent hundreds of civilians fleeing the fighting before a formal offensive began.
About 180 families, or 1,000 people, fled their homes to rebel territory in eastern Syria on the night of September 5, according to Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
The evacuees were mainly people from areas close to Syrian government-controlled territory and were most vulnerable in the early stages of the offensive, Mr. Rami said.
The number of people fleeing Idlib so far is still tiny compared to the estimated 800,000 people - equivalent to a quarter of the region's population - that the United Nations says have been displaced from Idlib.
Meanwhile, a foreign correspondent in Idlib saw convoys of families heading north toward areas near the border with Türkiye, which has opposed an offensive on Idlib because of concerns about a new influx of refugees across its border.
