Intense airstrikes in Syria Aleppo province hit clinics

The Syrian regime expressed its readiness to engage in further peace talks with the opposition and to arrive at a political solution to end the five-year conflict.

The newborn was killed during the second attack after his oxygen supply was cut, according to the IDA, which released the video below following the raid.

“The deliberate targeting of hospitals is part of a strategy to either drive civilians to leave the country or ensure their suffering is severe if they remain in opposition-held areas”, said Widney Brown, Director of Programs at Physicians for Human Rights.

The Independent Doctors Association (IDA), a group of Syrian doctors supporting clinics in the city, said in a statement that the hospitals were bombed over the course of 24 hours in the same neighbourhood of east Aleppo.

The Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes disabled four clinics in the provincial capital of Aleppo and one in Atareb just west of the city.

Government forces backed by Russian air strikes have intensified their military campaign against the city’s rebel-held areas in recent weeks.

“The homework we have given as humanitarians to the co-chairs, which are the United States and Russian Federation, and to other members of the ISSG [International Syria Support Group] is the following: give us 48 hours every week to be able to go to eastern Aleppo where there is a quarter of a million civilians and they have no other lifeline than this Castello Road, and that we can get in cross-border, NGOs [non-governmental organizations] and UN and cross-line, UN, Red Cross and Red Crescent”, he said.

According to the World Health Organization, Syria was the most risky place for health care workers to operate previous year, with 135 attacks on health facilities and workers in 2015.

“A short time ago, it targeted Al Quds, Al Zarzour and Al Bayan hospitals – and now, all the medical services in our area including the Children’s Hospital”.

An AFP journalist in eastern Aleppo said heavy air strikes resumed after a brief pause.

At least 280,000 people have been killed and more than half the population have been forced to flee their homes, as world powers are increasingly drawn into the conflict.

Sana also quoted an unnamed foreign ministry official as saying that the government was ready for a new round of peace talks “without preconditions”.

They struck an agreement on “concrete steps” to salvage the failing truce and fight jihadist factions, but did not announce details.

Kerry and Lavrov are expected to meet again in Laos this week.