26 killed in Aleppo as UN meets over Syria

TIL Desk/World/Beirut-At least 26 civilians were killed in fresh government airstrikes on the contested city of Aleppo, Syrian activists said as the United Nations Security Council convened an emergency meeting on the spiralling violence in Syria. At the start of that meeting the UN’s top envoy to Syria accused the government of unleashing “unprecedented military violence” against civilians in Aleppo.

Staffan de Mistura said Syria’s declaration of a military offencive to retake rebel-held eastern Aleppo has led to one of the worst weeks of the 5 and 1/2-year war with dozens of airstrikes against residential areas and buildings causing scores of civilian deaths. He said the offencive targeting civilians with sophisticated weapons including incendiary devices may amount to war crimes.

Medical workers and local officials reported airstrikes on neighbourhoods throughout Aleppo’s rebel-held eastern districts as an announced government offencive entered its fourth day. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported 26 civilians had been killed by 7:30 p.m. and said it expects the toll to rise. Ibrahim Alhaj of the Syrian Civil Defence search and rescue outfit said hospitals and rescuers have documented the deaths of 43 people so far.