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.

U.S. Department of State

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