Syria: Damascus forces resume highway in Idlib province

Damascus regime forces have taken over the entire stretch of highway crossing Idlib province in northwestern Syria, the scene of a deadly offensive against jihadists and rebel groups, NGO said . The Syrian state media did not mention the resumption of this part of the highway, but said that regime forces took control of two villages along this road. " The regime's forces have taken control of the entire part of the Damascus-Aleppo highway which crosses the province of Idlib, " said Rami Abdel Rahmane, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH).

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This strategic highway, the M5, has long been in the crosshairs of the regime, which wants to better control road traffic from Damascus to the second main city and former industrial center of the country, Aleppo (northwest). According to the Observatory, if pro-Damascus fighters take another 30 km from this highway located in the south of the province of Aleppo, they will have control of the entire province. The M5 motorway, which leaves the Jordanian border, is the longest in the country.

In two months, some 586,000 people have been displaced by hostilities in this region, half of which is dominated by jihadists and where rebel groups are present, according to a new UN report. More than 300 civilians were killed, according to the Observatory.

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Turkey, which has troops in northwestern Syria including Idlib, where it supports rebels, has repeatedly called on the Bashar al-Assad regime and Moscow to stop their offensive. Triggered in March 2011 with the suppression of anti-government demonstrations, the war in Syria has killed more than 380,000 people and forced millions into exile. The conflict then gained in complexity with the involvement of regional and international powers.