The meeting produced “zero” results, Jaafari said, because the US, Britain and France refused to “take measures” to atone for Saturday’s air strikes.
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She says Australia would “never intentionally, knowingly target a known Syria military unit”.
US Secretary of State John Kerry, when asked if the truce was holding, said: “It was quite good last night, trucks are moving, let’s see how it goes today”. Australia, which said it was one of several coalition countries whose aircraft took part, offered its “condolences to the families of any Syrian personnel killed or wounded”.
Think others should know about this? He said the strikes enabled IS to “immediately” take over the army position on a strategic hill near the eastern city of Deir Ezzor.
“It is highly suspicious that the United States chose to conduct this particular air strike at this time”, Russia’s Ambassador Vitaly Churkin said, adding that the strike that killed Syrian soldiers did not look like an honest mistake.
The UN has said it has not received necessary permissions and safety guarantees from the Syrian government for it to proceed with the deliveries to Aleppo and other hard-to-reach areas. Syrian state media said there were 32 violations by rebels on Sunday alone. It said the air strikes were “on goal and planned in advance”, and killed dozens of Syrian soldiers.
Syrian state TV is reporting that government warplanes are attacking positions of the Islamic State group in eastern Deir el-Zour province.
“We are at a new stage that requires making the decision to embrace reconciliation”, Diab said in a statement carried by the state news agency, SANA.
The station says Monday’s airstrikes targeted IS positions in areas such as the Tharda Mountain, overlooking the airport of the city of Deir el-Zour.
The move comes seven days after a fragile ceasefire came into effect in Syria, but tensions between its main architects – Moscow and Washington – are obscuring any prospect of a more lasting peace.
Meanwhile, a senior Syrian opposition figure says the U.S. -Russia-brokered cease-fire that went into effect in Syria a week ago is now “clinically dead”. A planned delivery of humanitarian aid to besieged rebel-held districts of eastern Aleppo – one of the first steps in the deal – has been repeatedly postponed.
“Anti-Syrian forces are expending all their energy and capabilities to prolong the terrorist war against Syria”, Assad said.
Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull told reporters in NY on Sunday that as soon as the coalition commanders were advised by the Russians that Syrian forces were being affected, the operation ended. A foreign ministry statement said that Syrian positions had been repeatedly attacked in strikes that were “on objective and planned in advance”.
CNN analyst retired Lt. Col. Francona said Saturday the airstrike could have jeopardized the plan for Moscow and Washington to work together.
The truce excludes IS and al-Qaida-linked militants.
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The Turkish leader said on Monday that the offensive will last until the area “is no longer a threat” to Turkey.
