Syrian rebels blow up bridges for offensive

Syrian opposition fighters have blown up bridges linking areas they control to government-held territories in the north-west in anticipation of a military offensive against their last stronghold in the country.

The explosions rocked the area in the al-ghab plains, south of Idlib, and came after rebels detected government troop movement in the area, according to Rami Abdurrahman, head of the war monitoring Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Mr Abdurrahman said two other bridges remain in the area and could be used by government forces to move in on the rebel stronghold.

Most of Idlib province and adjacent strips of Hama province remain in the hands of an assortment of armed groups, some Turkey-backed and others independent Islamist groups.