BEIRUT: A rebel bastion in the Idlib region of northwest Syria has recorded its first death from the novel coronavirus, a health official said Friday. The jihadist-dominated stronghold is home to some three million people, many living in close quarters in displacement camps after being forced to flee their homes during Syria's nine-year-old war.

Emad Zahran, spokesperson for the health directorate in rebel-held areas of Idlib province, said the death of an 80-year-old displaced woman living in a camp in the town of Sarmada was recorded on Tuesday. "She suffered from severe renal insufficiency and high blood pressure," he said.