Syria: Smoke billows following reported air strikes on Idlib's Maaret al-Numan Smoke billows following reported airstrikes of the Syrian regime and its Russian ally on the outskirts of Maaret al-Numan, in the northwestern Syrian province of Idlib. Syrian regime forces have reached the outskirts of the key city of Maaret al-Numan on the edge of the country's last rebel-held stronghold. The mainly deserted city is a strategic prize lying on the M5 highway linking Damascus to Syria's second city Aleppo, coveted by the regime as it seeks to regain control of the entire country. IMAGES