Airstrike kills 12 in Syria's rebel-held Idlib

At least 12 people were killed on Tuesday in government airstrikes against areas in the rebel-held province of Idlib in northwestern Syria, a monitor group reported.

The strikes targeted the town of Kafr-Nubbol in the countryside of the Ma'arat al-Numan area in Idlib countryside, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The London-based watchdog group said tens of people were wounded, adding that the death toll could likely rise due to the large number of critically wounded people and those still stuck under the rubble.

The airstrikes came apparently in response to the wide-scale offensives by the Al-Qaeda-linked Nusra Front on key government-controlled areas in the countryside of the coastal city of Latakia and the central province of Hama.

A Syrian military source told Xinhua on Tuesday that the military forces managed to repel the attacks, scoring more progress against the Al-Qaeda-linked groups in the countryside of Latakia.

The escalation of tension on ground reflects the tension taking place among the Syrian delegates to the Geneva peace talks on Syria crisis.

The opposition representatives in Geneva talks are calling for suspending the talks, citing the lack of progress.