World
Syrian government forces carried out an air strike in the rebel-held city of Aleppo on Wednesday, leaving at least 16 civilians dead in a medical facility where rescue operations were in progress. The number of fatalities is feared to rise as rescuers cleared rubble of the Al Quds hospital and removed victims’ charred bodies. Syria’s principal opposition group, the High Negotiations Committee (H.N.C.) condemned the attack and called on the Syrian regime to stop bombing the civilians if it were to continue the peace talks.
With Syria’s President Bashar Hafez al-Assad stepping up military offensives against the rebels, over 100 civilians have lost their lives since Friday, writes Al Jazeera. The recent assault killed Dr. Wasem Maaz, one of the last remaining pediatricians in the rebel-controlled parts of Aleppo.
The future of a temporary ceasefire agreed by Assad regime and Syrian rebels on February 27 remained uncertain as hostilities intensified on ground, notes Mail Online. Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova expressed concerned over H.N.C.’s failure to come up with “constructive proposals” for peace talks.
Staffan de Mistura, the United Nations envoy to Syria, briefed the U.N. Security Council about the fragile peace process in the country and called on the United States and Russia to intervene and salvage the peace talks to prevent a complete collapse of the “cessation of hostilities” agreement, writes the BBC.
