Russia says coalition air strike killed six

Russian military said a US-led coalition airstrike on a Syrian village in the province of Aleppo has killed six civilians.

The military’s Reconciliation Centre in Syria said Tuesday’s strike on the village of Hassajek also wounded four people and destroyed two houses.

Russian military surveillance spotted two Belgian F-16 fighter jets over the area at the time of the strike, the centre said adding Russian and Syrian warplanes weren’t flying over the area .

Russia’s Tass news agency reported from Brussels that the Belgian defence minister denied Belgian aircraft had struck the area. Russia said Russian and Syrian warplanes halted their airstrikes on the besieged city of Aleppo, in preparation for a temporary pause in the military push that Moscow has announced for Thursday.

Russian officials said the “humanitarian pause” should allow civilians and militants safe passage out of the city.

The Russian offer comes after a proposal by the UN Syria envoy, Staffan de Mistura, to allow al-Qaeda-linked militants to leave Aleppo in exchange for a truce and a local administration for the eastern districts. Rebels there, along with many residents, have rejected the offer.

Russia’s announcement did not include any promises of an extended cease-fire or a local administration in and around Aleppo.Francois Hollande, Vladimir Putin and Angela Merkel will meet in Berlin for talks on Syria on Wednesday ahead of the brief truce in Aleppo backed by Moscow. The meeting will be aimed at “giving the same message to Vladimir Putin on Syria: a durable ceasefire in Aleppo and humanitarian access so that the devastation of this city can end,” an aide to Hollande said.

EU foreign ministers have said they would press ahead with extending sanctions against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, but stopped short of threatening measures against Russia.