ISTANBUL — Tens of thousands of people fleeing a Russian and Syrian offensive in the northwest Syrian province of Idlib have reached the Turkish border this week, swelling the number of displaced people in the rebel stronghold to nearly a half million as another cease-fire all but shatters.
Dozens of people have been killed since Jan. 12, when Turkey brokered a truce with Russia in Idlib, the last opposition-controlled area in war-gutted Syria that has faced intermittent bombing campaigns by Syrian forces and their Russian partners since April. Turkey’s top diplomat this week urged Russia to respect the latest cease-fire, calling its violations “unacceptable.”
