Aid groups sound alarm over imminent crisis in Syria's Idlib

The aid groups said, in an appeal issued Friday, that violence has displaced an estimated 180,000 people in the last two weeks.

The clashes between rebels and regime forces, which flared up on April 30, shattered a cease-fire in place since September.

Aid groups say the violence forced at least 16 humanitarian organizations to suspend their operations in the region, home to 3 million people.

Read more: More than 150,000 displaced in northwest Syria

With the UN Security Council (UNSC) set to discuss northwest Syria on Friday, the human rights group Amnesty International urged action, calling for Russia, a staunch ally of President Bashar al-Assad, to be pressured over the deliberate targeting of 15 hospitals in Idlib and Hama during the last three weeks.

"Bombing hospitals carrying out their medical functions is a war crime. These latest attacks have eliminated vital lifelines for civilians in desperate need of medical care," said Lynn Maalouf, Amnesty International's Middle East Director of Research.

"This is part of a well-established pattern targeting medical facilities to systematically attack the civilian population and it constitutes crimes against humanity," she added.

Physicians for Human Rights said that in the last four weeks Syrian regime forces and Russian allies have carried out nine attacks on hospitals and medical facilities.

The groups said at least four clearly identified humanitarian posts were targeted.

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