ISTANBUL – Airstrikes on rebel-held areas in the Syrian city of Aleppo destroyed a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders, the aid group said Thursday, killing at least 14 patients and staff in the latest attacks that have all but unraveled a cease-fire accord.
It was not immediately clear who carried out the air attack. The Syrian air force and allied fighters have been waging missions in the area against rebels factions opposing the government of President Bashar Assad.
The overnight raids – including a direct hit on Aleppo’s al-Quds hospital – killed at least 27 people, rights monitors and rescue volunteers said. At least 14 patients and medical personnel were killed at the hospital, Doctors Without Borders said on its Twitter account.
The group, also known by the French name Medecins Sans Frontieres, or MSF, said at least three doctors, including one of the last pediatricians in the city, were among the dead.
The Quds hospital “was well known locally” and “hit by direct airstrike” late Wednesday, said a tweet from the organization said.
There was no immediate response from Assad’s government. But Syrian state TV on Thursday said 14 people had been killed in the government-held area of Aleppo. It was unclear whether this a reference to a separate attack.
Earlier Thursday, the government-run network had said four people were killed by rebel shelling on government-held neighborhoods.
The city, Syria’s largest and once a sprawling commercial center, has been divided between rebel and government-controlled sections since 2012.
In recent months, rebels have been encircled by troops and fighters loyal to Assad. Russia has also lent support to the embattled leader, sending troops and aircraft to pound rebel fighters.
In February, the United States and Russia agreed to enforce a truce between the two sides in order to kickstart peace talks in Geneva. But those talks, between the Syrian government and representatives of the opposition, have largely broken down.
On Thursday, the United nations Special Envoy to Syria, Staffan de Mistura, called on the United States and Russia to intervene to save the cease-fire.
But the chief Syrian opposition negotiator, Mohammed Alloush, blamed the government for the airstrikes. He told the Associated Press that the latest violence shows “the environment is not conducive to any political action.”
The 5-year-old conflict, which started as a pro-democracy uprising, has claimed some 400,000 lives and sent millions fleeing for safety. There has also been a rise in attacks on hospitals and medical personnel, rights groups have said.
