A senior State Department official speaking to the media on condition of anonymity because he wasn’t authorized to discuss the matter publicly said it is impossible to say a cease-fire is in effect when Syrian forces are conducting a renewed offensive on Aleppo.
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Syrian government forces have been accused of carrying out “double tap” attacks throughout the 5 ½ -year war, placing paramedics and rescue workers in peril.
“They have an opportunity to bring an end to this”.
Hamza al-Khatib, the director of a hospital in the rebel-held east, told Reuters the death toll from the strikes was 45.
MOSCOW-Russia escalated rhetoric against the U.S. over a failing cease-fire in Syria on Thursday, rejecting a proposal by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry to ground aircraft to prevent further escalation of tensions in the country.
Sounding a cautious note about the NY talks, Mr Kerry told reporters on Wednesday that “it’s going to be hard”.
One official said the US was “not sure” the gridlock around the failed cease-fire agreement could be resolved, while another official added it would take “extraordinary steps” for Russian Federation to preserve the agreement.
The U.S. and Russian Federation signed a temporary ceasefire agreement last week, calling for a reduction of violence for seven continuous days and the delivery of humanitarian aid.
“We can confirm that NONE of our aircraft – manned or unmanned, USA or Coalition – were anywhere in the vicinity of Aleppo when the strike against the humanitarian convoy occurred”, said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis.
The U.N. suspended aid deliveries on Tuesday after the convoy was struck near Aleppo in northern Syria the previous day.
Assad told AP that Russian Federation was not behind a deadly attack on an aid convoy on Monday, for which US officials have said they believe Moscow was responsible.
The violence continues to rage in the war-torn country as the Syrian military announced a new offensive on Aleppo on Thursday.
According to Kerry, the US-supported opposition can not engage in political talks to resolve the conflict in Syria, if the Syrian regime, backed by Russian Federation, doesn’t halt its air attacks on terrorists.
Kerry and others made the point repeatedly to Lavrov that Russian Federation had to undertake new steps that go beyond previous agreements to salvage the process. That’s what they should accuse first: the people or the militants, the terrorists who are responsible for the security of this convoy.
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Last Saturday US-led coalition jets bombarded positions of government troops in Syria near the town of Deir ez-Zor, killing at least 83 people, according to the latest government figures.
