Bombs rain down on Aleppo again after hospital attack branded a war cime

Syrian regime forces advanced in Aleppo on Sunday after Russia unleashed dozens of air strikes in the battleground northern city overnight. Among the targets of air raids during the night were the neighbourhoods of Bustan al-Basha, Sakhur and Suleiman al-Halabi. “Dozens of Russian air strikes targeted overnight the fighting zones inside Aleppo city,” said the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group. Observatory director Rami Abdel Rahman said the raids “helped regime forces to advance in the north of the city” where they reached the outskirts of Al-Halaq district.

Regime forces aims to control Bustan al-Basha and Sakhur districts to tighten the zones controlled by rebels

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights director Rami Abdel Rahman

Aleppo, once Syria’s vibrant commercial powerhouse, is now at the heart of a major military campaign by president Bashar al-Assad’s fighters and his steadfast ally Moscow. Sunday’s advance comes hours after the bombing of the city’s largest hospitals was condemned as a war crime. Two patients were killed and about 10 people were injured when the M10 hospital was hit by barrel bombs on Saturday. “The hospital is now out of service completely,” radiologist Mohammad Abu Rajab said. “There’s destruction to walls, infrastructure, equipment and generators. There are no more guards or staff left. It’s complete darkness.”

In the flood of violence that overwhelms Aleppo for several days, the systematic targeting of structures and health workers is particularly unjustifiable.

French foreign minister Jean-Marc Ayrault

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