Photo: ReutersAmman: Russian war planes struck rebel held areas north of Aleppo on Saturday as the army shelled the besieged old quarter in a major offensive which also hit a field hospital and rebels, a monitoring group said. The latest strikes come 10 days into a Russian-backed Syrian government offensive to capture rebel-held eastern Aleppo and crush the last urban stronghold of a revolt against Syrian President Bashar al-Assad that began in 2011. They have lost several fighters and we are steadfast,” said Abu Hamam, a rebel from the Failaq al-Sham group. France condemned the bombing of the hospital, saying the shelling of healthcare structures and personnel in the besieged Syrian city constituted war crimes. Russia joined the war exactly a year ago, tipping the balance of power in favour of Assad, who is also supported by Iranian ground forces and Shi’ite militia from Lebanon and Iraq.

Source: Mint October 01, 2016 17:37 UTC