The U.N. Security Council has scheduled a meeting on the escalating violence in Aleppo in response to an urgent request from Britain and France.
Britain’s Ambassador to the UN Matthew Rycroft and France’s U.N. Ambassador Francois Delattre called for a briefing by U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon. Diplomats said that U.N. political chief Jeffrey Feltman will brief the council instead later today.
“Aleppo is burning … and its civilians are being killed,” Rycroft told the Security Council after members adopted a resolution demanding an end to attacks on hospitals and medical workers in Syria and other areas.
Delattre said that Aleppo “has been under constant bombardment since 2012” and described the city as the “martyred center of the resistance” to Bashar al-Assad.
Regime forces, backed by Russian air force, have resumed aerial bombing of the rebel-held areas of Aleppo since April 21, hitting the city with dozens of deadly airstrikes that left hundreds killed or injured. The regime’s bombing has not spared hospitals, civil defense centers, and civilian homes, causing the humanitarian situation to deteriorate dramatically.
The United Nations expressed deep concern about the targeting of hospitals and medical facilities, describing the act as “a clear violation of international law.”
President of the Syrian Coalition Anas al-Abdah said that the Assad regime continues to commit war crimes and crimes against humanity in Aleppo, calling on the Friends of the Syrian People group and the UN Security Council to take concrete action in order to stop the regime’s brutal campaign on Aleppo. (Source: Syrian Coalition + Agencies)
