to begin with for us to say whether it failed or succeeded , " Riad Hijab , general coordinator of the High Negotiations Committee , told reporters . Aid was delivered to the besieged town of Talbiseh in Homs province on Monday , the Red Cross said , for the first time since July . The convoy brought in food , water and hygiene supplies for up to 84,000 people , it said .
Image copyright AFP Image caption Nagorno - Karabakh 's military had images on its website reportedly showing a downed Azerbaijani helicopter Azerbaijan has announced a " unilateral ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefire" in fighting with Armenian forces over the disputed Nagorno - Karabakh region . A defence ministry spokesman said the Azeris were acting in response to international calls to halt violence . But the Armenia - backed Karabakh forces said this was false and Azerbaijan was continuing to fire shells .
Over 200 air strikes hit the rebel - held city of Aleppo over the weekend , killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds more , according to Ammar al - Selmo , the head of the Syria Civil Defense group , a volunteer emergency medical service . On Sunday , top UN officials described the Syrianm regime 's brutal offensive against areas of the besieged northern city of Aleppo as " barbaric . " Following the collapse of a short - lived , US and Russia - brokered ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefire, Syrian forces pounded eastern Aleppo on Sunday , killing at least 85 people and wounding more than 300 others , an activist group reported . JUST WATCHED Syrian government launches " comprehensive offensive " Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Syrian government launches " comprehensive offensive " 03:26 Etaky 's young son has been suffering with a fever but he says he has been unable to get him treatment with the city 's resources brutally stretched .
His statement came in response to a question asking if Moscow had proposed March 1 as a possible date for the start of a ceasefire . Read more Earlier , AP and Reuters cited anonymous US officials who claimed that Russia has suggested a March 1 ceasefiregovernment.agreements.nain Syria . A US official , who spoke on condition of anonymity to AP , said that Washington is wary of accepting Moscow ’s proposal . Meanwhile , answering a reporter ’s question on the issue , State Department spokesman Mark Toner said that he was not aware of Russia ’s suggestion of a specific date to establish a ceasefire .
A ceasefire deal brokered by Russia and the United States saw Syria 's government and non - jihadist opposition agree to halt attacks while pursuing peace talks . Violence dropped across the country , including in Aleppo city , where residents cautiously began shopping in open - air markets and taking their children to parks . But a surge in violence in recent weeks has left the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementall but collapsed . In the rebel - held town of Douma , 13 people -- including three women and two children -- were killed in government shelling on the city . Douma lies in the Eastern Ghouta opposition bastion , where the Jaish al - Islam rebel group -- also party to the truce deal -- is dominant .
Syrian military source : Offensive would be a " comprehensive one " , with a ground assault following air and artillery bombardment . " With respect to the air or artillery strikes , they may continue for some time . ” ( BEIRUT , LEBANON ) Warplanes launched some of the heaviest air strikes yet on rebel - held areas of Aleppo on Friday after the Russian - backed Syrian army declared an offensive to fully capture Syria 's biggest city , killing off any hope of reviving a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.na. Residents said the streets were deserted as the 250,000 people still trapped in the besieged opposition - held sector of Aleppo sought shelter from jets . The army said the operation would include a ground attack , and could last " for some time " .
Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov issued a statement about the fragile truce . “ As of the third day , only the Syrian army is observing the regime of silence . At the same time , the ‘ moderate opposition ’ led by the US is increasing the amount of attacks on residential districts … Russia has respected its obligations to fulfill the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireregime in Syria from the first minute . ” The United Nations has blamed both sides for the delay of aid . The two convoys carrying necessary supplies of food have been stranded in a “ no man ’s land ” since the start of the Syrian ceasefire , unable to proceed due to hostilities and a lack of permits from the Assad regime .
Definitely , and we announced that we ’re ready , but it ’s not only about announcing , because maybe the other party will announce the same . It ’s about what you are going to do on the ground . A ceasefire is about – if you want to say ceasefiregovernment.agreements.na, it ’s not the correct word , because a ceasefire is between two armies or two countries – it ’s better to say cessation of hostility , or , let ’s say , stopping the operations . It ’s about , first of all , stopping the fire , but it ’s also about other complimentary and more important factors , preventing the terrorists from using the ceasefire or the cessation of hostility to improve their position . It ’s about preventing other countries , especially Turkey , from sending more recruits , more terrorists , more armaments , or any kind of logistical support to those terrorists .
" We look to Russia to end such ( government ) violations , which includes strikes that have hit civilians and civilian facilities , " he said . While Russia supports the Assad government , the United States and its allies support rebels trying to overthrow him in a civil war that has burned for more than five years and killed at least 250,000 people . However , both sides oppose the al Qaeda - linked Nusra Front , which was not included in a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefiredeal which has failed to prevent widespread violence . A U.S. military strike killed Nusra Front 's leader , Abu Firas al - Suri , in April . White House spokesman Eric Schultz said the U.S. aim remains for Russia to persuade Assad to abide by the cessation of hostilities in Syria , saying it was not the first time Russia had made such a proposal .
Russia is investing a lot in these war preparations . And we are not getting any explanations for this , " Poroshenko said . The president added that Russia had failed to implement any aspect of 2015 's Minsk Agreement , a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefirepact between Kiev and Moscow in Belarus . This came a year after Russia sent troops to annex Ukraine 's Crimea region . Today , fighting continues in the east of Ukraine between government forces and pro - Russian rebels , despite the ceasefire .
US Secretary of State John Kerry has claimed that the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementin Syria “ is not dead ” following an attack on an aid convoy that killed around 20 people near Aleppo . The Syrian Arab Red Crescent ( SARC ) has condemned the strike that killed around 20 humanitarian volunteers and one staff member , calling it “ totally unacceptable ” . The UN and Red Crescent convoy was delivering aid supplies to Uram al - Kubra , west of Aleppo city , when it was struck on Monday night .
Gerges is the chair of contemporary Middle East studies at the London School of Economics , and the author of " Isis : A History . " Gerges said the big question is whether the guns that are scheduled to fall silent Monday would remain silent in the weeks and months ahead . The ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefiredeal lacks a political horizon , he said . Gerges ticked off three points to remember in the complicated quest for peace . 1 .
Russia is investing a lot in these war preparations . And we are not getting any explanations for this , " Poroshenko said . The president added that Russia had failed to implement any aspect of 2015 's Minsk Agreement , a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.napact between Kiev and Moscow in Belarus . This came a year after Russia sent troops to annex Ukraine 's Crimea region . Today , fighting continues in the east of Ukraine between government forces and pro - Russian rebels , despite the ceasefire .
" Today the bombardment is more violent , with a larger number of planes . " The U.S.-Russian agreement marked their second attempt this year to halt the war . It was supposed to bring about a nationwide ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire, improved humanitarian aid access , and a joint U.S.-Russian effort against jihadist groups including Islamic State and the Nusra Front , long al Qaeda 's Syrian wing . " LONG , PAINFUL , DIFFICULT " But the ceasefire collapsed into renewed bombardments on Monday , including an attack on an aid convoy that Washington has blamed on Moscow , which denies involvement .
In a phone call with Sergei Lavrov , Mr Kerry said the US held Russia responsible for the use of incendiary and bunker bombs against the city . The US state department said it was making preparations to suspend talks . Aleppo has come under heavy aerial bombardment since the end of a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.naa week ago . In response to Mr Kerry 's phone call , the Russian Deputy Ambassador to the UN , Evgeny Zagaynov , said the " trend " of Russia being blamed for the attacks in Syria must stop . " It 's become a sort of unfortunate tradition that the majority of strikes on civilian facilities in Syria , without checking it ... is blamed on Damascus or Russia , ' ' he said .
“ Now I am saying this and I want to lay out these facts because it underscores why at this moment we just ca n’t do business as usual . We ca n’t walk out of this room and say , OK , we ’re going to try to continue or we ’ll have a ceasefire that everybody knows ca n’t work . “ Are you supposed to sit there and have happy talk in Geneva under those circumstances when you ’ve signed up to a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireand you do n’t adhere to it ? ” Kerry asked . A western official likened the succession of Moscow ’s different descriptions of the convoy bombing to the various Russian accounts of the downing of Malaysian Airlines flight MH17 by a ground to air missile over Ukraine in 2014 . “ It ’s the same thing – throwing out chaff and hoping some of it works , ” the official said .
He said 12 civilians had died in the attacks , including two children and a Syrian Red Crescent volunteer . Russian military officials lashed out at the United States in the strongest language yet over the ceasefire struck last week in Geneva , a last - ditch effort to stop the bloodshed in Syria . The ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementhas so far lasted five days . " Russia is exerting all possible effort to restrain government troops from returning fire , " senior army general Viktor Poznikhir said during the televised briefing . " If the American side does not take the necessary measures to carry out its obligations ... a breakdown of the ceasefire will be on the United States . "
If the ceasefire holds for a week , then the U.S. will open a joint operations center with Russia meant to target the Islamic State and al - Qaida elements in Syria . “ The U.S. government does n’t want Assad to remain but their actions are n’t doing anything to get him to leave , they ’ve only helped him stay in power , ” Bill Roggio , a senior fellow at the Foundation for Defense Democracies , explained to The Daily Caller News Foundation . Assessing the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireRoggio elaborated , “ These ceasefire ’s do n’t hold , everyone uses them for their own advantage , some groups will get some supplies , and then the fighting will resume . ” Secretary of State John Kerry himself reportedly shares Roggio ’s pessimism regarding the ceasefire . Kerry privately admits to friends and confidants he does not think his newly brokered ceasefire with Russia in Syria will work , The New York Times reports .
US officials acknowledged there might no longer be any agreement left to salvage after the convoy attack . If the truce is abandoned , it would most likely wreck the last hope of any breakthrough on Syria before the administration of President Barack Obama leaves office in January . A senior Obama administration official said of the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreement: “ We do n't know if it can be salvaged ” . “ At this point the Russians have to demonstrate very quickly their seriousness of purpose because otherwise there will be nothing to extend and nothing to salvage , ” the official , who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity , added . A burnt out vehicle is abandoned in the road after the fire ( AP )
" Among the civilians taken by IS there were people used as human shields but also many who chose voluntarily to leave the town due to fear of reprisals " by the SDF , Observatory head Rami Abdel Rahman said . The SDF launched an assault in May on Manbij , on a key jihadist supply route between the Turkish border and IS 's de facto Syrian capital Raqa . A woman sets fire to a niqab after she was evacuated with others by the Syria Democratic Forces fighters . ( Reuters Photo)The jihadists , who have suffered a string of losses in Syria and Iraq , have often staged mass abductions when they come under pressure to relinquish territory they hold . IS has also booby - trapped cars and carried out suicide bombings to slow advances by their opponents . SDF forces captured Manbij on August 6 but had continued to battle pockets of jihadists in parts of the town . According to the Observatory , 437 civilians , including more than 100 children , were killed in the battle for Manbij and surrounding territory . Around 300 SDF fighters died , along with more than 1,000 jihadists , it said . Pentagon deputy press secretary Gordon Trowbridge said Friday that IS " is clearly on the ropes " . " It has lost the centre of Manbij , it has lost control of Manbij , " he said . Since fighting for Manbij began , US - led strikes have taken out more than 50 of IS 's heavy weapons and destroyed more than 600 fortified fighting positions , Trowbridge said . But the job of clearing the city will be complicated after the jihadists left behind hundreds of mines and booby traps , he added . Syria 's conflict erupted in March 2011 and has since killed more than 290,000 people and drawn in world powers on all sides of the war . On Friday Russian and Syrian jets pounded rebel positions in and around second city Aleppo . The raids came despite a pledge by Russia to observe a three - hour daily ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefirein Aleppo to allow for humanitarian aid deliveries .
A Syrian army source said the air strike had allowed IS to gain ground in the area around the Syrian airbase , but that Syrian forces had regained most positions on the hilltop nearby with the help of Syrian and Russian air support . Syrian President Bashar al - Assad denounced the air strike as a " flagrant aggression " . The attack has dealt a further blow to an already shaky ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementdeal , which was agreed by the US and Russia on Monday . The terms of the deal include a nationwide ceasefire between the armed opposition and the Syrian government , but not jihadist groups . It will be renewed every 48 hours if it holds .
French Foreign Minister Jean - Marc Ayrault , speaking through an interpreter as he and Kerry spoke to reporters before they met at the State Department in Washington said : " Tomorrow , will be a moment of truth - a moment of truth for all the members of the Security Council . Do you , yes or no , want a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirein Aleppo ? And the question is in particular for our Russian partners . " Russia is expected to use its power of veto .
Her decisions spread death , destruction and terrorism everywhere she touched . " Everywhere ? The statement cries out for a more substantive debate about Clinton 's support for the raid that killed Osama bin Laden ; the temporary ceasefiregovernment.agreements.nashe negotiated between Hamas and Israel ; and the Iran nuclear deal . But Trump 's speech was n't about debating policy points , it was an all - out trashing of Clinton designed to rally conservatives , predictably veered off the road from justifiable concerns into unfounded conspiracy theories . Indeed , Clinton 's use of a private email server during her time as secretary of state , and donations to the Clinton Foundation raise important questions about potential conflicts of interest that the campaign has not fully answered .
A halt to fighting around Aleppo and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid were key components of the fragile deal that took effect last Monday evening . The ceasefire ’s co - sponsors , Russia and the United States , have traded accusations over its fraying , with relations strained even further following the raid . Syria accused the United States of seeking the failure of the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire. “ The objective of this US aggression is to bring about the failure of the truce , ” said Bashar Jaafari , Syria ’s ambassador to the United Nations . Sunday was the deadliest day of the truce so far , said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights , with 10 civilians killed in areas where the ceasefire was supposed to have taken hold .
As our nation ’s chief diplomat , Hillary did n’t back down when the stakes were high . As Hamas rockets rained down on Israel , Hillary went to the region immediately . Twenty - four hours after she landed , a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirewent into effect — and that year became Israel ’s quietest in a decade . Wait just one moment . Clinton was secretary of state for President Obama ’s entire first term , and her most significant accomplishment is helping negotiate the end of a week - long skirmish between Israel and Hamas ?
New recruits practice on February 16 , 2016 in a rebel - held area of the northern city of Aleppo before fighting with opposition fighters ( AFP Photo / Karam al - Masri ) United Nations ( United States ) ( AFP ) - Western powers rejected a Russian bid at the United Nations to halt Turkey 's military actions in Syria , as France warned of a dangerous escalation in the nearly five - year conflict . The emergency Security Council meeting came as US Secretary of State John Kerry cautioned there was " a lot more work to do " for a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireto take hold in Syria , following talks in Geneva between American and Russian officials . Meanwhile President Barack Obama , in a phone call with Turkey 's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan , urged the Ankara government and Kurdish YPG forces to " show reciprocal restraint " in northern Syria . The elusive truce was meant to begin Friday , but failed to materialize as fighting raged in Syria with Kurdish - led forces backed by US - led air power seizing a key town from the Islamic State group .
The foreign officers where embedded in a militant - held section of Aleppo and could be the real reason for the imminent end of diplomatic cooperation between the US and Russia . As part of an ongoing offensive against militant - held sectors of Aleppo , Russian warships hit a military operations center near the city , killing 30 Israeli , US , Saudi , and British officers who were allegedly offering support and intelligence to ISIS militants in Syria . The strike came following a failed ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementin the embattled country , which was ultimately derailed after being violated multiple times by US - backed militant groups , the US , and Israel . Russia ’s Sputnik news agency reported the incident citing a battlefield source in Aleppo and other reports confirmed the attack . According to sources , Russian warships fired three Caliber missiles at the operations room , where the officers were gathered , in the Dar Ezza region of Western Aleppo .
The Syrian ceasefire began Monday amid high hopes from the international community . The ceasefire was a coordinated effort between Russia , who backs the Syrian government regime of Bashar al - Assad , and the United States , who back the myriad group of rebel organizations seeking to force Assad out of power . According to al - Jazeera , the Syrian ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireapplies to all of Syria , with Russia carving out certain caveats , such as retaining the ability to strike groups like the Islamic State and al - Nusra , which have been ruled terrorist organizations by the United Nations . The stated goal of the Syrian ceasefire negotiations was to allow the United Nations to coordinate humanitarian aid to Syrian citizens in Aleppo and elsewhere who have been displaced by the ongoing conflict . The initial cessation of hostilities , which began Monday , was supposed to last 48 hours , which was extended by another 48 hours after the UN deemed the area still too unsafe for aid groups to enter .
All diplomatic peace - building efforts between Syria and Russia and the international community have now totally collapsed . Aleppo residents plead for help as Syria fighting rages The renewed attack on Aleppo and Russia ’s apparent decision to abandon the latest efforts to reinstall last week ’s ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefireappear to signal that the Syrian regime is more determined than ever to crush all opposition in the country . If Assad ’s forces succeed in retaking Aleppo , there will only be pockets of rebels left in sparsely populated areas in the far north and south of Syria . Isis still holds on to vast swathes of north - east Syria and Iraq and several Islamist groups are operating in the country .
The United States and European Union also say there is no evidence it took place . Whether the plot is real or imagined , Moscow has cranked up its military activity in Crimea at the same time as holding a series of what it says are pre - planned war games and missile deployments in the area . Putin , who is expected to visit Crimea later this week in a show of support , convened his Security Council and canceled the next round of international talks meant to turn the shaky ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirein eastern Ukraine into a lasting peace . But his response - deliberately refocusing international attention back on eastern Ukraine and the lack of progress in implementing a peace deal there - suggests Putin is trying to milk the latest Crimean crisis as part of a diplomatic power play he hopes will eventually kill Western sanctions . TALKS RUN INTO SAND
Is there a plan F , G , H , that we have n't thought of ? ' " JUST WATCHED U.S. considers deal with Russia to fight terror Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH U.S. considers deal with Russia to fight terror 01:34 Obama warned that if Russia did not help deliver Syrian President Bashar al - Assad for a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefiredeal in his civil - war wracked country , it would expose itself as an irresponsible actor on the world stage . " I 'm not confident that we can trust the Russians and Vladimir Putin , which is why we have to test whether or not we can get an actual cessation of hostilities that includes an end to the kind of aerial bombing and civilian death and destruction that we 've seen carried out by the Assad regime , " he said . Obama additionally offered a survey of diverse military operations around the world , including the fight to support the Afghan government in its civil war with the Taliban and a growing ISIS presence .
" For more than a week , we have urged Moscow to fulfill the commitments it made in Geneva to facilitate the unimpeded flow of humanitarian aid to the Syrian people , " the department said in a statement . " And for more than a week , the Syrian regime repeatedly denied entry to these UN convoys , preventing them from delivering urgent food , water and medical supplies to desperate Syrian citizens . " The Kremlin said there was little hope for the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.na's renewal , state television Russia 24 reported . David Butter , associate fellow of the Middle East and North Africa program at Chatham House , called the latest development a " severe setback " and said the prospects for peace " look very poor " at this point . He said that while the details of exactly who did what were likely to remain unclear , the idea of allowing humanitarian aid into besieged areas would go against the Syrian regime 's " starvation strategy " to win back territory .
Over 200 air strikes hit the rebel - held city of Aleppo over the weekend , killing more than 100 people and injuring hundreds more , according to Ammar al - Selmo , the head of the Syria Civil Defense group , a volunteer emergency medical service . On Sunday , top UN officials described the Syrianm regime 's brutal offensive against areas of the besieged northern city of Aleppo as " barbaric . " Following the collapse of a short - lived , US and Russia - brokered ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreement, Syrian forces pounded eastern Aleppo on Sunday , killing at least 85 people and wounding more than 300 others , an activist group reported . JUST WATCHED Syrian government launches " comprehensive offensive " Replay More Videos ... MUST WATCH Syrian government launches " comprehensive offensive " 03:26 Etaky 's young son has been suffering with a fever but he says he has been unable to get him treatment with the city 's resources brutally stretched .
The defence ministry said violations were committed by moderate rebels as well as " terrorist organisations " . " Over the past 24 hours , nine instances of violations of cessation of hostilities have been uncovered , " the ministry said , citing its coordination centre at the Hmeimim airbase in Syria . " On the whole , the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireregime in Syria is being implemented , " it said of the deal brokered by Moscow and Washington which took effect from 2200 GMT Friday . " At the same time there are a number of violations by groups of ' moderate ' opposition and units of international terrorist organisations . " The ministry highlighted an attack on the town of Tal Abyad on the border with Turkey .
Halaki added that Deir ez - Zor would be the next major target for Damascus after taking control of Aleppo . He was speaking as a parliamentary delegation from Russia visited Syria on Sunday . things just as bad in Sheikh Maksoud # Aleppo post ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire. 4 kids & 3 women killed when this house attacked y'day pic.twitter.com/xoxz4Gh0c5 — Lizzie Phelan ( @LizziePhelan ) March 7 , 2016 SalahEddin # Aleppo ppl live in these homes , say things better since ceasefire but still gas jars fired across f'line pic.twitter.com/s6XzHK2vEC — Lizzie Phelan ( @LizziePhelan ) March 4 , 2016
Russia has made “ specific proposals ” on a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.nain Syria and is waiting for a reaction from the US , Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has said . “ We made proposals on implementing a ceasefire , quite specific ones , ” Lavrov said . “ We are waiting for a US response before putting them before the International Syria Support Group . ”
The multi - ethnic enclave populated by Armenians and Azerbaijanis has been in political limbo since a conflict between the groups involving tens of thousands of casualties ended in 1994 with the region self - declaring independence . Turkish ally Azerbaijan , however , still claims it as its own , and has not backed off its intention to take back control of the territory . READ MORE : Armenia , Azeri General Staff chiefs agreed Nagorno - Karabakh ceasefiregovernment.agreements.nain Moscow “ I declare for the entire world to hear : there will be no purging or deportation of the Armenians of Artsakh ( Nagorno - Karabakh ) . We will not allow another Armenian Genocide .
" In the past 24 hours , the number of attacks have risen sharply , " with 55 attacks on government positions and civilians . He said 12 civilians had died in the attacks , including two children and a Syrian Red Crescent volunteer . Russian military officials lashed out at the United States in the strongest language yet over the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.nastruck last week in Geneva , a last - ditch effort to stop the bloodshed in Syria . The ceasefire has so far lasted five days . " Russia is exerting all possible effort to restrain government troops from returning fire , " senior army general Viktor Poznikhir said during the televised briefing .
Earlier this month Russia bombers went on a run around Western Europe , forcing the air forces of four Nato members to scramble their fighter jets . President Vladimir Putin has been supporting embattled Syrian dictator Bashar al - Assad with air strikes . The bombing of an aid convoy last month saw a fragile ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefiredisintegrate and put even greater strain on relations between the US and Moscow . Neighbour Turkey warned on Monday that Syria could become a proxy war for the two superpowers as they pile weapons and advisers into the Middle East . We pay for your stories !
Russia , in turn , said the US had derailed peace efforts by killing 63 Syrian soldiers in an accidental strike on a Syrian military base near Isis territory in Deir el Zour a few days earlier . ( AFP / Getty Images ) As the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.nacrumbled , the Assad government announced a fresh campaign to seize Aleppo from the opposition for good . East Aleppo is the last major rebel stronghold in Syria ’s almost six - year - long war . Retaking it would greatly consolidate Assad ’s control over all of the country that is not held by Islamist factions such as Isis and Jabhat Fatah al - Sham , the al - Qaeda allied group also known as al - Nusra .
The driver of the vehicle survived the blast — suggesting it originated in the middle of the bus . The incident comes at a highly sensitive time for landlocked Armenia , which has not experienced any major terrorist incidents since the 1990s . Four days of clashes between Azerbaijani and Armenian troops in early April in Nagorno - Karabakh claimed over 100 fatalities — the greatest loss of life in the conflict since a 1994 ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementended a bloody ethnic war that erupted in the dying days of the Soviet Union . The violence threatens to destabilize a sensitive region bordered by Turkey , Russia and Iran . Photo : REUTERS / Vahan Stepanyan / PAN Photo
Malahifji claims that the rebels are concerned that if they withdraw first , the Assad government forces will exploit the movement to capture strategic positions . The rebels also claim that Syrian forces and Russia have used the exemption of terrorist groups from the ceasefire to attack their positions and civilian areas , which gives them little incentive to observe the ceasefire themselves . Russia , however , has claimed that the United States and their coalition of rebel groups have not lived up to their end of the Syrian ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefire. According to Sky News , Russia has long believed that some of the “ moderate rebels ” that the United States supports are in fact terrorist organizations with ties to the Islamic State and al - Qaeda . Russian military spokesman Igor Konashenkov issued a statement about the fragile truce .
VERGE ON COLLAPSE Saturday ’s bungle has raised questions about Syria ’s ceasefire after the city of Aleppo was hit by its first air raids in nearly a week . The barrage of strikes on rebel - held districts of Aleppo risks reigniting battlefronts in the city and could be the most serious threat to the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementso far . A halt to fighting around Aleppo and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian aid were key components of the fragile deal that took effect last Monday evening . The ceasefire ’s co - sponsors , Russia and the United States , have traded accusations over its fraying , with relations strained even further following the raid .
| Samir Puri Read more Earlier in the week two other emergency centres and the only remaining maternity centre were bombed by jets , prompting a bitter response from US diplomats and vague claims that Washington was “ reviewing options ” about how to defuse a grave and deteriorating humanitarian crisis . The attacks on Aleppo have worsened since the breakdown of a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefirebrokered by Russia and the US that had barely lasted a week before Russian jets and Syrian helicopters attacked and destroyed an aid convoy that had been permitted to cross into an opposition - held part of the country . The US and Europe have said Russia is acting in flagrant breach of international law . Three days of phone calls between US secretary of state John Kerry and Russian foreign minister Sergei Lavrov have failed to slow the carnage .
Hillary , June 13 , 2016 As secretary of state , Hillary Clinton worked to restore America ’s leadership in the world after it was badly eroded by eight years of the Bush administration ’s go - it - alone foreign policy . She oversaw significant accomplishments , from building a global coalition to impose crippling sanctions against Iran , to brokering a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirein Gaza and protecting Israel , to supporting President Obama ’s decision to bring Osama bin Laden to justice , and much more . Defending America and our core values is one of the cornerstones of Hillary ’s campaign . As president , Hillary will :
Russia , and the regime , owe the world more than an explanation about why they keep hitting hospitals and medical facilities and children and women , " Kerry told reporters in Washington . " These are acts that beg for an appropriate investigation of war crimes and those who commit these would and should be held accountable for these actions . " Russia said the call for an investigation was an attempt to distract from the failure of a U.S.-Russia brokered ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefire, according to Tass news agency . " It is very dangerous to play with such words because war crimes also weigh on the shoulders of American officials , " said Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova , according to RIA news agency . Russia and Syria accuse the United States of supporting terrorists by backing rebel groups .
A Syrian man walks past a bus set ablaze following a reported air strike in the rebel - held Salaheddin district of Aleppo Regime and Russian aircraft have carried out a barrage of strikes on east Aleppo since the Syrian government announced an offensive last week to retake all of the divided city . The bombardment has been some of the worst in Syria 's five - year civil war , and follows the failure of a short - lived ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirebrokered by Russia and the United States . Moscow and Washington have traded blame for last week 's collapse of the ceasefire deal that would have marked the first step in a new effort to end the war that has killed 300,000 people since 2011 . US Secretary of State John Kerry admitted Thursday that months of diplomacy to end the war had hit a dead - end .
We basically destroyed the infrastructure which supported ISIS . And the political process is starting in Geneva . So basically we prepared everything and I would like to say that there is a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirein Syria and there is less job to do for our aircraft and there is no need to keep such forces there because we are moving in the direction of the political process . That ’s exactly what we agreed in Vienna .
Aid shipments into the devastated city of Aleppo have yet to be allowed to reach civilians . More than 470,000 people have been killed in the Syrian civil war since 2011 , according to the Syrian Center for Policy Research . On Saturday , Putin blamed ceasefiregovernment.agreements.violateagreementviolations and the aid blockade on resistance from Washington , saying Americans “ still can not separate the so - called healthy part of the opposition from the half - criminal and terrorist elements . “ In my opinion , this comes from the desire to keep the combat potential in fighting the legitimate government of Bashar Assad . But this is a very dangerous route . ”
She was the lead diplomat for four years — what advice or suggestions did she pass on to John Kerry that might indicate she has anything useful to bring to the table ? And how can diplomacy be effective when our bombing may be exacerbating the very sectarian divides negotiations are supposed to solve ? Her bragging list of diplomatic accomplishments included nuclear weapons reduction negotiations with Russia ( which were badly undermined by an accompanying trillion - dollar plan to “ modernize ” our own arsenal ) , the barely useful climate deal in Copenhagen , the 2012 Hamas - Israel ceasefiregovernment.agreements.rejectnullifyagreementcontractceasefire( which Israel soon violated ) , the pressure she applied on other countries to join in Washington ’s sanctions against Iran , and ( more laudably , if unevenly ) her record of standing up for the rights of women , religious minorities , and LGBT people . But she did n’t mention her failure ( matching the failure of the secretaries of state before and after her ) to negotiate a just peace in Israel - Palestine based on international law , human rights , and equality for all . Indeed , her earlier promise to embrace Israel ’s right - wing prime minister would make salvaging that legacy almost impossible .