Al-Jazeera correspondent reported that 22 people, including children and women, were killed in air strikes by regime and Russian warplanes on cities and towns in Idlib countryside during the past 24 hours, while regime forces continued their advance in the province.

In the city of Maarat al-Numan, 14 people were killed and others injured in regime raids on residential neighborhoods.

The Civil Defense confirmed that the planes dropped 12 vacuum rockets at once on a residential area of ​​the city, adding that the bombing resulted in massive destruction.

The Civil Defense released photos of "white helmets" as they searched through the rubble of destroyed houses for trapped victims.

Eight people were killed and others were injured in raids targeting the towns of al-Tah, Ma'arshamsha, Maasran and al-Tmanea in the southern countryside of Idlib.

The news agency DPA quoted a military commander in the National Liberation Front of the Free Syrian Army, that the planes of the Syrian regime and Russian bombed with vacuum missiles towns Maarsan, Tah and Marshroen in the countryside of the south-east of Idlib.

He added that the bombing paves the way for a military operation towards the city of Maarat al-Numan to complete the control of the regime forces on the road between Hama and Aleppo.

Displacement movement
Al-Jazeera correspondent said that the continuous shelling on the towns of Idlib countryside caused a large displacement of civilians towards the Turkish border.

The Syrian regime forces made further progress in the northwestern province of Idlib on Thursday, taking control of several villages and towns, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

Shelling forced many families to move towards the Turkish border (Anatolia)

After months of heavy shelling in several areas in and around Idlib, regime forces have in recent weeks launched an offensive in the southern countryside of Idlib, where the international road connecting Aleppo north and Damascus is passing.

Ten days ago, it took control of the city of Khan Sheikhoun on the road and has since been trying to make further progress.

Map of bombing
On a daily basis, Syrian and Russian warplanes bombard areas ranging from the southern countryside of Idlib to some villages in the northern Hama to the northeastern countryside of Latakia.

It is noteworthy that Idlib province is still under the control of the armed opposition and Islamic factions and is covered by the agreement to reduce the escalation signed by Russia and Turkey last September.

But the regime forces did not abide by the agreement. The escalation has driven 400,000 people from the region, while about 4,000 people have been reported killed in the last five months.

Fighting continues in Idlib despite a meeting earlier this week between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in an effort
To save the agreement "reduce escalation".