Airstrike on Syrian medical facility kills 4 staff

The latest horror came as tension between the USA and Russian Federation escalated, with Moscow claiming it was not behind Monday’s bombing of an aid convoy in which 20 civilians died.

“There are only three parties that fly in Syria: the coalition, the Russians and the Syrian regime. They hope we will start discussing some secret information”, Lavrov joked in reply.

Russia’s shifting explanations for the attack resulted in a war of words at the United Nations, as diplomats from Washington and Moscow traded barbs, and little progress was made in coming to terms with the situation in Syria. Initial estimates indicate that about 18 of the 31 trucks in the convoy were hit, as well as the Red Crescent warehouse in the area.

U.S. reached the first conclusion that the Russian fighter planes attacked an aid convoy and warehouse belonging to Syrian Arab red Crescent, two officials told CNN.

In response, the United Nations suspended overland aid operations to priority areas in Syria pending a full security assessment.

Meanwhile, Russian and regime forces resumed their bombardment of the rebel-held eastern half of Aleppo, with dozens of airstrikes pummeling the city. The Observatory says the toll is likely to rise because rescue efforts are ongoing.

The UN humanitarian aid agency has said all planned aid drops in Syria have been suspended in the wake of the attack. Mohammed Abu Jaafar, from the local forensics team, said one of the 24 was a fighter.

The US Secretary of State John Kerry – who personally negotiated the truce during months of intensive diplomacy with Russia – earlier spoke about the crumbling ceasefire after emerging alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov from a meeting of foreign ministers of 20 countries, gathered to discuss Syria in NY on Tuesday.

While the violence appears to have left the hard-fought ceasefire in jeopardy – U.S. officials said they believe the agreement is still in place.

But Russia, which denied its aircraft or those of its Syrian government allies were involved, said on Tuesday it believed the convoy was not struck from the air at all but had caught fire because of some incident on the ground.

US Secretary of State John Kerry wants all aircraft over key humanitarian routes in northern Syria grounded in order to facilitate desperately need aid deliveries.

As NPR’s Michele Kelemen reported, Kerry is trying to salvage the deal with the Russians at a U.N. Security Council meeting happening today.

One of many air strikes near Aleppo killed four medical workers and at least nine rebel fighters south of Aleppo.

The aid convoy was traveling in the area of Urum al-Kubra, west of Aleppo, on September 19 when it was attacked. The convoy was carrying United Nations aid.

The escalation of violence against humanitarian workers has all but destroyed a cease-fire that took effect on September 12, and has stoked tensions between the truce’s architects, the USA and Russian Federation, which have traded blame for running it into the ground.

Kerry outlined a list of US complaints against President Bashar al-Assad’s government and Russian Federation, its chief backer.

The convoy was part of a routine interagency dispatch operated by the Syrian Red Crescent.

Earlier, Lavrov called for a “thorough and impartial investigation” into the attack. But, he said, the US admitted its mistake and the Defense Department apologized. A section of the Russian footage was also released, which Mr Konashenkov said “clearly shows” rebels driving a pick-up truck and a mortar, using the convoy as cover.

The strike hit a medical triage point, and killed two ambulance drivers and two nurses who had arrived to transport wounded patients to a more advanced medical facility, UOSSM said in a statement (in French).

State TV said a Syrian warplane crashed after carrying out a combat mission against Islamic State militants northwest of the capital, Damascus.

The terror group claimed responsibility for downing the jet in a statement from the ISIS-affiliated Amaq news agency.