<span style="color: #222222;">Airstrikes by the Syrian regime and its ally Russia today killed 12 civilians in the country's last major opposition bastion where a rise in violence has forced tens of thousands to flee.<br />''  <br />'' The bombardments hit the northwestern province of Idlib, which has been increasingly targeted this month by President Bashar al-Assad's forces.<br />'' <br />'' According to the United Nations, the intensification of airstrikes on southern Idlib since 16th of this month has forced tens of thousands to flee their homes.<br />'' <br />'' The bombardment came as violent clashes continued for a third straight day between regime loyalists and the militants who dominate the province.<br />'' <br />''<br />''The Idlib region, which is home to some three million people including many displaced by Syria's civil war, is controlled by the country's former Al-Qaeda affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.</span><br />