- UN Says 1 Million Children At Risk In Syria’s Idleb Province

- The UN's Children's agency warned on Friday that a battle between #Assad forces and rebels for the northwestern Idlib province could affect the lives of more than 1 million children, many of whom live in refugee camps.

Food, water, and medicine are already in short supply in the largely rural province, which is now home to over 1 million Syrians displaced from their homes by government offensives in other parts of the country, said UNICEF.

The agency said a battle for Idleb, the last major bastion for Syria's political and military opposition, would exacerbate an already dire humanitarian situation there and potentially displace 350,000 children.

Assad helicopters dropped leaflets across the province on Thursday, urging residents to reconcile with its rule. Officials have warned that government forces will take back the province by force if necessary.

There are 2.9 million people living in Idleb and surrounding opposition-held areas, according to U.N. estimates.

"War cannot be allowed to go to Idleb," said Jan Egeland, a top U.N. humanitarian adviser on Syria.