More than 70,000 people were displaced from the southern countryside of Idlib province in Syria during August due to a surge in violence, Idlib's health directorate said on Wednesday.

The battle for control of Idlib's countryside and Hama's rural north has spiralled recently. Syrian government forces managed late Monday to enter Khan Sheikhoun, previously the rebels' largest stronghold in the southern countryside of Idlib.

‘Some 71,794 people have been displaced since the beginning of August until August 18,’ the directorate said.

Activists say the humanitarian situation in the region is dire, with people sleeping in vehicles or spending the night in open fields.

A UN official said he had received disturbing reports of increased displacement in the region.

‘The situation on the ground remains fluid,’ David Swanson, spokesman for the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told dpa.

Khan Sheikhoun is located on the international M5 Aleppo-Damascus highway, which also passes through Homs. The town has been a key battleground in Syria's conflict, now in its ninth year.

On April 30, the Syrian government began a military offensive against the rebels in Idlib, home to 3 million people.

Four airstrikes targeted and destroyed al-Rahmeh hospital in Tel Mannas in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Wednesday, a rescue group said on Twitter.

The White Helmets said that one person was killed and another wounded in the raids.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes caused heavy material damage to the hospital and knocked it out of service.

The watchdog added that Russian planes conducted four consecutive strikes on the medical facility, a few hours after medical staff were evacuated.

The watchdog said Syrian government planes were still targeting Tel Mannas.

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said one of the organization's primary health care centres, in nearby Saraqeb, was out of service after being hit by an airstrike.

The violence in Idlib has shattered a truce deal reached in September between Russia and Turkey to establish a demilitarized buffer zone in the Idlib enclave. Over 70,000 displaced by Idlib violence, Syrian officials say By Weedah Hamzah, dpa =  Beirut (dpa) - More than 70,000 people were displaced from the southern countryside of Idlib province in Syria during August due to a surge in violence, Idlib's health directorate said on Wednesday.

The battle for control of Idlib's countryside and Hama's rural north has spiralled recently. Syrian government forces managed late Monday to enter Khan Sheikhoun, previously the rebels' largest stronghold in the southern countryside of Idlib.

‘Some 71,794 people have been displaced since the beginning of August until August 18,’ the directorate said.

Activists say the humanitarian situation in the region is dire, with people sleeping in vehicles or spending the night in open fields.

A UN official said he had received disturbing reports of increased displacement in the region.

‘The situation on the ground remains fluid,’ David Swanson, spokesman for the United Nations' Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), told dpa.

Khan Sheikhoun is located on the international M5 Aleppo-Damascus highway, which also passes through Homs. The town has been a key battleground in Syria's conflict, now in its ninth year.

On April 30, the Syrian government began a military offensive against the rebels in Idlib, home to 3 million people.

Four airstrikes targeted and destroyed al-Rahmeh hospital in Tel Mannas in the eastern countryside of Idlib on Wednesday, a rescue group said on Twitter.

The White Helmets said that one person was killed and another wounded in the raids.

The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes caused heavy material damage to the hospital and knocked it out of service.

The watchdog added that Russian planes conducted four consecutive strikes on the medical facility, a few hours after medical staff were evacuated.

The watchdog said Syrian government planes were still targeting Tel Mannas.

The Syrian American Medical Society (SAMS) said one of the organization's primary health care centres, in nearby Saraqeb, was out of service after being hit by an airstrike.

The violence in Idlib has shattered a truce deal reached in September between Russia and Turkey to establish a demilitarized buffer zone in the Idlib enclave.

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