<span style="color: #222222;">The United States has warned Syria's President Bashar al-Assad that it would respond swiftly and appropriately if he uses chemical weapons</span> against his own people. Meanwhile, United Nations has warned of a potential bloodbath in Syria's Idlib province.<br />'' <br />'' Syrian troops massed near the northwestern region of nearly three million people, the last major rebel stronghold. According to Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights renewed Russian airstrikes killed at least nine civilians.<br />'' <br />'' US ambassador to the United Nations, Nikki Haley, said the UN Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss the precarious situation in the province.<br />'' <br />'' Turkey has held several rounds of talks with ally Russia aimed at averting an assault on Idlib, but Moscow dubbed the region a pocket of terrorism.<br />'' <br />''<br />''Seized from government forces in 2015, Idlib and adjacent areas form the last major chunk of territory still in rebel hands.