Turkey condemned Sunday recent airstrikes by the Syrian regime and “its supporters” on residential areas in opposition-held parts of Syria’s northwestern city of Aleppo.
Assad regime said on Thursday it was starting a new wide offensive to recapture the rebel-held parts of Aleppo after a week-long ceasefire was declared officially over on Monday. the offensive includes a ground assault, artillery bombardment, and intensive airstrikes.
Since last Monday, at least 213 civilians have been killed in rebel-held areas of Aleppo province, including the besieged eastern part of the city, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday.
Activist sources said that at least 200 were
In a statement, the Foreign Ministry said it strongly condemned the attacks over the past few days targeting Aleppo, which killed over 300 civilians, injuring hundreds more.
“Through these attacks, the Syrian regime mercilessly kills its own people, and targets in particular humanitarian facilities such as hospitals, pumping stations, and emergency response centers.
“These attacks, committed at a time of intense efforts including Turkey and others to put in place a new cease-fire, has shown once again that the Syrian regime and its supporters do not intend to find a political solution,” the statement said.
These acts are not only war crimes, but also grave crimes against humanity, and constitute a serious violation of international law, it added.
The Assad regime forces has been tightening its grip on rebel-held districts of Aleppo this year, and this summer achieved a long-held goal of fully encircling the area.
Recovering full control of the rebels’ last significant urban area would be the most important victory of the war so far for Assad, strengthening his control over Syria’s most populous and strategically important regions.
The Syrian crisis began as a peaceful demonstration against the injustice in Syria. Assad regime used to fire power and violence against the civilians and led to armed resistance. 450.000 Syrians lost their lives in the past five years according to UN estimates, and more than 12 million have lost their homes.
