The assessment laid more deliberate blame on Moscow for the strike on the Syrian Arab Red Crescent convoy, which killed 20 civilians.
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The convoy was clearly marked as humanitarian and notification of the convoy was sent out to all parties of the conflict, according to a statement by U.N. Emergency Relief Coordinator, Stephen O’Brien.
A US and Russian-brokered cease-fire that went into effect nine days ago is on the brink of collapse, with the government and the rebels alleging dozens of violations.
The United States on Tuesday blamed Russian Federation for an overnight attack on an aid convoy that killed 20 civilians as the UN announced it was suspending overland aid deliveries in Syria, jeopardizing food and medical security for millions of besieged and hard-to-reach civilians.
Kerry added that those who believe the crisis in Syria can not get any worse are “dead wrong”, and that while the cease-fire plan forged almost two weeks ago in Geneva between Russian Federation and the U.S.is imperfect, there has not been any alternative that is “remotely realistic that will lead to a better outcome”.
The U.N said convoys to priority areas would be resumed, with deliveries planned as early as Thursday.
“There only could have been two entities responsible, either the Syrian regime or the Russian government”, US President Barack Obama’s national security spokesman Ben Rhodes said.
The team had just arrived at the scene of the first airstrike in the rebel-held town of Khan Touman when planes circled around and struck the area again, Dr. Oubaida Al Moufti, vice president of the International Union of Medical Care and Relief Organizations, said.
The group said air strikes killed four of its staff, two nurses and two ambulance drivers, as they were evacuating victims from an earlier raid on Wednesday which had killed nine medical personnel.
Syrian government forces have been accused of carrying out “double tap” attacks throughout the five-and-a-half-year war, placing paramedics and rescue workers in peril.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said at least 13 people were killed in the attack, including nine militants, some of them belonging to the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham Front. The highest ranking US diplomat wondered aloud how USA -led coalition forces could be expected to negotiate with Russian Federation if they couldn’t keep their Syrian allies in check for a week-long ceasefire.
Kerry said that while Washington admitted Saturday it accidentally hit Syrian military personnel, killing and injuring dozens, Russian Federation has changed its story repeatedly about an attack Monday on an aid convoy that resulted in 20 deaths – ultimately saying it simply had caught fire.
In a strongly worded speech where he expressed incredulity over Russia’s various explanations over the bombing of an aid convoy, he called for all planes to be grounded over “key areas”.
The UN has said it is ready to resume aid convoys in Syria after halting operations in response to a deadly attack on an aid mission on Monday.
US officials said Tuesday that two Russian Su-24 aircraft were flying over the area at the moment of the attack. Russian Federation also denied responsibility and said their Syrian allies did not carry out the attack either.
Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told reporters that a preliminary assessment indicated the convoy caught fire rather than being hit by mortar shells.
In New York on Tuesday, Russian and USA diplomats insisted that the Syrian cease-fire, which went into effect nine days ago, was not dead, despite indications of soaring violence.
The US is blaming Russian Federation for the attack and Secretary of State John Kerry has called for the grounding of all aircraft.
The truce brokered by the United States and Russian Federation took effect on September 12 as part of a deal meant to facilitate aid access to besieged areas.
Syrian government forces also launched a major advance in Hama province in the West of the country. According to this deal, the opposition and the official government forces were supposed to stop the violence within the country.
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In nearby Idlib, the Observatory said 12 civilians, including two children, were killed in at least eight air raids.
