Airstrikes across rebel-held Syria kill and wound scores
BEIRUT — Airstrikes hit a women’s prison and a clinic in rebel-held parts of Syria on Saturday, killing and wounding scores of people amid clashes on multiple fronts between government forces and insurgent groups in some of the country’s worst violence in weeks, opposition activists said.
The airstrikes, which some activists said included Russian air raids, concentrated on the rebel-held northwestern province of Idlib, the central province of Hama and suburbs of the capital Damascus that have come under attack by insurgent groups over the past week.
One of the airstrikes hit a main street in the Damascus suburb of Hamouriyeh, killing at least 16 people and wounding more than 50, activists said. The airstrikes caused wide destruction in the area.
The U.N. Special Envoy for Syria, Staffan de Mistura, said in a statement released in Geneva he is deeply concerned by the recent escalation of violence in Syria, highlighting it undermines a Dec. 30 cease-fire brokered by Turkey, Iran and Russia, which back opposing parties in the conflict.
The statement said de Mistura had communicated with the foreign ministers of the three countries, appealing to them to exert urgent efforts to uphold the cease-fire.
Speaking after meeting on Saturday with the U.N. envoy in Geneva as part of a fresh round of Syrian peace talks, Nasr al-Hariri, the head of the main opposition delegation, lashed out at Assad’s “killing machine” and both named and showed photos of some of the victims — including some featuring graphic imagery.
“This is the fault of warplanes,” he told reporters. “These are the ones who claim to fight terrorism who are responsible for this horrible massacre in Hamouna.”
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the airstrikes on Hamouriyeh killed 16, including eight women and children, and wounded more than 50. The Local Coordination group said 18 were killed and dozens were wounded.
Both groups said some people are still missing, and the death toll could rise.
“They have been hitting Hamouriyeh for days but today they struck an area packed with civilians,” said Awis al-Shami of the Civil Defense search-and-rescue group, also known as the White Helmets, via text message.
The airstrikes come as insurgent groups have been on the offensive in Damascus and the central province of Hama for the past days. Government forces and their allies launched a counteroffensive capturing some of the areas they lost in Damascus and Hama.
Opposition activists also reported airstrikes in Idlib province hit several towns and villages as well as the provincial capital that carries the same name.
The Observatory said a Friday night attack struck a prison run by militants, killing at least 16 people, including prisoners and prison staff in Idlib city. It added that women were among the dead as well.