Assad’s airstrikes on Syrian Idlib province kill 17 people
On Sunday, June 10, Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government forces carried out airstrikes on targets in the the Idlib province, including a hospital in the town of Taftanaz, Anadolu news agency reports. Strikes were also directed against the towns of Binnish and Ariha, and Ram Hamdan and Beni Iz villages. 17 civilians were killed in the attack.
According to one of the agency’s correspondents, aircraft attacked the province during the latter half of the day, in the afternoon.
Members of the non-governmental volunteer organization “Syrian Civil Defense” (“White Helmets”) confirmed that the strike hit a children’s hospital in Taftanaz, resulting in five deaths, including three children. Overall, 13 people were killed in the strikes on the city.
Another two Syrians were killed in Ariha, and there was one casualty in Binnish and in Ram Hamdan alike. All of the wounded were taken to the nearest hospitals.
On April 14, the leaders of three countries – the US, UK and France – announced the start of a military operation in Syria. Their airstrikes targeted facilities suspected of being involved in the preparation of chemical weapons.
Within roughly an hour, it was reported that the first wave of strikes against Syria was completed, but the Pentagon did not exclude the possibility of further strikes. The US did not warn Russia about the start of the attack in Syria.
The operation in Syria was a response to the Assad regime’s use of chemical weapons against civilians. The last attack, on April 7, killed roughly 70 people, mostly women and children.
The World Health Organization confirmed that chemical weapons had been used by Assad’s forces in Douma. The Organization also cited unconfirmed information from volunteers concerning the death of 70 people who had hid from the bombardment in basements.