United Nations special envoy to Syria Staffan de Mistura urged on Tuesday the leaders of Russia and Turkey to intervene to avert a “bloodbath” in the northwestern province of Idlib. De Mistura appealed to President Vladimir Putin and President Recep Tayyip Erdogan “to make a telephone call," even before they are set to meet with their Iranian counterpart in Tehran on Friday. "Lets try to avoid that the last probably major battle of the Syrian territorial conflict ... ends in a bloodbath," he told reporters in Geneva, insisting Russia and Turkey held "the key for the soft solution to the Idlib issue". He made his remarks as the Syrian regime appeared poised to launch an offensive to recapture the opposition-held region. Russian warplanes resumed on Tuesday strikes against Idlib after a 22-day halt. At least nine civilians were killed in the raids, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The British-based monitor said that five children from the same family were killed in the strikes, while 10 people were wounded. The West has warned against the repercussions of a military operation on the territory. US President Donald Trump on Monday warned the Syrian regime against launching an attack on Idlib, saying the offensive could trigger a "human tragedy." In a speech to EU ambassadors, the EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also warned that an offensive would bring destructive results on the Syrian people who have been already suffering greatly due to the civil war. She added that the EU should exert strong efforts to prevent the offensive.