Special to WorldTribune.com

A new report said tens of thousands of Syrians have fled a new Assad regime offensive that is supported by Russian air strikes.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said up to 100,000 Syrians left their homes in Hama, Aleppo and Latakia provinces amid a ground offensive by Syrian, Iranian and Hizbullah forces against rebels seeking President Bashar Assad’s ouster.

“Around 35,000 people are reported to have been displaced from… the southwestern outskirts of Aleppo city, following government offensives over the last few days,” Vanessa Huguenin, spokeswoman for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said on Oct. 20.

“People urgently need food and basic household and shelter items. Aid agencies are growing more and more concerned for families living outdoors as the weather is getting colder, especially overnight.”

According to the Observatory, Russia has launched more than 500 air strikes since Sept. 30, killing at least 370 people, including more than 120 civilians.

Meanwhile, fighters from the Western-backed Free Syrian Army told Reuters they had received a shipment of U.S.-made anti-tank missiles since the new Assad-regime assault began near Aleppo.

The rebels said the regime’s forces were pushing toward a key highway that links Aleppo with Latakia and Hama provinces.

Aleppo is about 50 kilometers (30 miles) from the border with Turkey.

On Oct. 18, Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu warned European leaders that the Aleppo offensive combined with attacks in the area by Islamic State of Iraq and Levant (ISIL) could “cause another wave of refugees.”

  Aleppo, Bashar Assad, new offensive in Syria, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Tens of thousands said to flee Russian strikes, WorldTribune.com