Syria: White Helmets clear rubble after reported regime bombing Members of the Syrian Civil Defence (known as the White Helmets) clear rubble following reported government bombings on the town of al-Hobait on the southern edges of the rebel-held Idlib province. According to the UN, violence in Syria's northwest has displaced more than 30,000 people this month alone, warning that a looming assault could create the century's "worst humanitarian catastrophe." In recent weeks, regime troops have massed around the northwestern region held by jihadists of Al-Qaeda's former Syrian affiliate as well as rival rebels.