With Syrian rebels only 50 miles away, Russia has evacuated all its warships from Tartus, its only naval base in the Mediterranean, satellite photos show. Situated 100 miles east of Cyprus and 100 miles south of Turkey, Tartus has since the Soviet days been Moscow’s platform for force projection into the Eastern Mediterranean.

In just a few days, a patchwork of rebel forces has seized control of a broad stretch of land in the west and northwest of Syria. But it’s unclear just how much support Syria’s weakened allies can provide.

As Syrian and Russian jets continue pounding targets, two airstrikes hit a group of four hospitals and the health directorate building in Idlib city, according to the Syrian Civil Defense that operates in opposition-held areas,