Aleppo: Eyewitness describes aftermath of hospital attack

De Mistura said he began his meeting with Muallem by “expressing serious concern and indeed shared the general worldwide outrage for the news coming from eastern Aleppo”.

Rebel shelling killed at least eight children, aged from six to 12 years, among 10 deaths in the Saria Hasoun school in al-Farqan district, the Observatory and Syrian state television reported.

According to United Nations estimates, at least 250,000 people are still trapped in the city.

On Friday Syrian government airstrikes disabled the last two functioning general hospitals in the area, and its only children’s hospital.

On Sunday they advanced into the Hanano district on its northern edge, but rebels said the battle was still continuing and that some of the pro-government forces’ gains had been reversed.

There are now no functioning hospitals in the rebel-held section of the Syrian city of Aleppo following days of heavy shelling and airstrikes by Syrian government and Russian warplanes, medical officials say.

Al-Moallem added that Mistura said he had no guarantees that the rebels would respect a cease-fire in Aleppo.

Elsewhere in his remarks, Muallem described Moscow-Ankara ties as economic, noting that Damascus views Moscow as a friend and ally whereas it considers Ankara as an aggressor that has invaded the Syrian soil and undermined the central government’s sovereignty.

Moallem added that the regime wouldn’t accept rebel fighters remaining in the in besieged territory, claiming that the 275,000 people of East Aleppo are “hostages to 6,000 gunmen”.

US President Barack Obama said he is “not optimistic” about Syria’s future, as the United Nations warned time is running out to avoid a humanitarian catastrophe in Aleppo, which has been pounded by air strikes for almost a week.

In the Syrian city of Aleppo, the small bodies of dead children are piling up in increasing numbers. It is all of Syria – the “useful” Syria as they say.

“We can not accept to have one Turkish soldier to remain on Syria’s land”, he said.

“I started, frankly, by expressing serious concern and, indeed, shared the general global outrage for the news coming from eastern Aleppo, as reported by World Health Organization and others, of several hospitals being heavily bombed by aerial bombs”.

The substance of Trump’s foreign policy won’t take shape until he takes office in January, but in the meantime, supporters of the Syrian opposition believe Russian Federation is taking advantage of the lame duck period of Obama’s presidency by intensifying its military campaign in support of the Assad regime.

Muallem said there were, what he called, “positive changes” in the worldwide arena, in a vague allusion to the recent election of U.S. President-elect Donald Trump.

De Mistura arrived in Damascus on Sunday for talks with Muallem and other Syrian officials.

Smoke rises from a rebel held neighbourhood of Aleppo, Syria on November 17.

On Sunday, a rebel rocket attack killed at least eight primary school children in the Furqan neighbourhood of the government-held west, state media said.

The Observatory said Syrian government warplanes and artillery struck more than 20 neighborhoods in east Aleppo killing 27 people and wounding many others.

The regime has also reportedly stepped up attacks in western Ghouta region after coercing rebels in eastern Ghouta to surrender earlier this year.

The Observatory reported that overall some 27 people had been killed around the city, virtually all civilians.