Attacks on Civilians in Idlib and Aleppo

The United States strongly condemns reported Assad regime artillery attacks and Russian airstrikes that killed civilians in western Aleppo and Idlib, yesterday. Reported artillery shelling on the Al-Atareb Surgical Hospital in western Aleppo killed several patients, including a child, and injured more than a dozen medical staff. This hospital’s coordinates had been shared with the UN-led deconfliction mechanism.

Additionally, Russian airstrikes struck Idlib near the Bab al-Hawa border crossing with Turkey, reportedly killing one civilian and putting access to much needed assistance at risk. Bab al-Hawa remains the only UN-authorized humanitarian border crossing in Syria and remains the most efficient and effective way to provide life-saving humanitarian assistance to approximately 2.4 million Syrians every month.

Civilians, including civilian medical personnel and facilities, must never be the target of military action. This violence must stop – we reiterate our call for a nationwide ceasefire.