At least 36 killed in northern Syria blast
BEIRUT — An explosion in northern Syria on Sunday killed at least 36 people and wounded many others, but the cause of the blast wasn’t immediately known, opposition activists said.
The opposition-run Syrian Civil Defence, first responders also known as the White Helmets, said the blast occurred in the village of Sarmada near the Turkish border. The explosion collapsed two five-storey buildings, burying many of the victims, it said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights put the death toll at 39, including 21 women and children.
An opposition media collective, the Smart news agency, said the dead included civilians and members of the al-Qaida-linked Levant Liberation Committee.
The observatory said an arms depot in a building’s basement had detonated. It was run by an arms dealer close to the Levant Liberation Committee, it said.
Meanwhile, Syrian government forces fighting rebels in Idlib province have sent more reinforcements ahead of a potential offensive on the last major rebel stronghold in Syria.
The pro-government Al-Watan daily said Sunday that huge military reinforcements have reached the outskirts of Idlib province as a preliminary step to launch a wide-scale offensive.
Quoting military sources, the paper said troops have reached the northern countryside of the neighbouring Hama province as part of military preparations to recapture Idlib province.
It said the battle would be “comprehensive,” starting from Hama’s northern countryside to the southern countryside of Aleppo, noting the goal is to seize Idlib City. Airstrikes on the province Friday killed dozens.