Air strikes hit Syria as truce collapses
BEIRUT (Reuters) — Warplanes bombed Aleppo on Friday with what residents described as unprecedented ferocity after the Russian-backed Syrian army announced an offensive to fully capture Syria’s biggest city, killing off any hope of reviving a ceasefire.
The apparent collapse of US-backed peacemaking may mark a turning point in the 5-1/2-year-old war, with the government and its Russian and Iranian allies now seemingly determined to crush the rebellion in its biggest urban stronghold.
Hamza al-Khatib, head of a hospital in rebel-held eastern Aleppo, said that 91 people had been killed in Friday’s bombardment while the Civil Defense rescue group that operates in opposition areas said 40 buildings were destroyed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring body gave an initial death toll of 27.
The Syrian army announced overnight that it was launching an operation to recapture the rebel-held sector of the city.
The assault left no doubt that the government of President Bashar al-Assad and its Russian allies had spurned a plea from US Secretary of State John Kerry to halt flights to resurrect the ceasefire, which collapsed on Monday after a week.
At the United Nations, diplomatic efforts to revive the truce made no tangible progress.
In a related development, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday that the Philippine government supported the call for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the Republic of Yemen.
“The Philippine Government joins the call for a peaceful resolution of the crisis in the Republic of Yemen and reiterates its support for UN-brokered negotiations, in keeping with the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) Initiative and the National Dialogue outcomes,” the DFA said in a statement released yesterday.
The DFA said that it was closely monitoring the political and security situation in Yemen and are working to ensure the safe passage of Filipinos remaining in that country.