Photoblog: Syria rebels gear up for regime assault on Idlib as thousands of civilians flee

Rebels in Syria's Idlib province are preparing for an expected major assault by regime forces as thousands of civilians seek refuge away from the front lines in the last major opposition bastion.

Opposition fighters of the National Front for the Liberation of Syria are gearing up in south Idlib amid fears of an imminent air and ground attack to retake the province.

Meanwhile in north Idilb, 10,000 people have flooded into the Tamana camp near the town of Sarmada on the Turkish border since last week.

Hundreds of families have been arriving at the camp  after regime shelling pounded their towns and villages in the south of the province.

The expected offensive on Idlib has not yet started.

This could be due to the Syrian regime, Russia, and Iran could have concluded that their forces would face much stronger resistance from the rebels in Idlib, than previously considered.

Regime forces have managed to take back most of Syria in recent months - such as Eastern Ghouta and Daraa - but these areas were relatively isolated, with the rebel groups lacked strong foreign support.