About 60 people killed in Syrian airstrikes, say activists - Los Angeles Times

BEIRUT -- Syrian government forces continued airstrikes on the northern city of Maarat Numan in Idlib province on Tuesday, leaving an estimated 60 people dead, activists said.

Of those killed, more than 40 reportedly were civilians, including a woman and her five children, said Idlib activist Alaa Aldeen Yousef.

There was no immediate response from the government to the activists' charge, which could not be independently verified.

The air attacks by MiG fighter jets, described as some of the worst in Idlib in months, began overnight hours after Free Syrian Army rebels launched an offensive to take the city from government control by attacking several army checkpoints.

"The fighting won't end till all the checkpoints are gone," said Ahmad Halabi, an activist in the city. "The planning has been ongoing for two months but we were waiting to unite the ranks and get the weapons."