Reviving Friday demonstrations that were a tradition [9] of the Syrian revolution, activists in besieged Idlib province [10] in the north filled the Idlib city center on Jan. 10, flying the Free Syria flag [11], chanting slogans against the Assad regime and Russia, and demanding international action against the ongoing bombardment of the province. The demonstrators especially expressed their sympathy and support for the displaced persons from Maarat al-Nuaman [10], a town which has come under especially intense bombardment in recent weeks. The Assad regime and Russia launched their bombing campaign [12] in April, largely violating the de-escalation zone [13] deal reached between Russia and Turkey. (OrientNet [7])
Nearly 300,000 people have fled the bombing [10] in Idlib and neighboring Hama province [13] since mid-December. The UN says that around 700,000 people have been forced to flee since late April, when the bombing campaign began. It has recorded more than 1,330 civilian deaths in that time. The only adjacent border, with Turkey, is closed [14]. While more and more people are trying to smuggle themselves across it [15], others, particularly youth, are joining rebel ranks to fight what they see as a struggle for existence. (The New Humanitarian [16])
The main rebel faction in Idlib is the jihadist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS [14]), but it is opposed by the civil resistance [17] in the province.
