" 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 .
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 .
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 .
“ 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 .
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 .
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 .
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 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 .
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 .
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 .
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 .
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 .
Israel seized 1,200 square kilometres of the Golan Heights from Syria in the Six - Day War of 1967 and later annexed it in a move never recognised by the international community . Mr Netanyahu 's comments come amid a fragile ceasefire in Syria and indirect negotiations in Switzerland between Mr Assad 's regime and the opposition . Brokered by Russia and the United States , the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefiredeal does not include the fight against IS militants or Al Qaeda 's local Syrian affiliate , the Nusra Front . The truce had largely held across parts of Syria since late February , despite frequent accusations that both sides were committing breaches . But recent violence around Aleppo has sparked concerns that the ceasefire may not last , partly because rebels are involved in the battles there too .
At least 32 people were killed in separate attacks Monday in Aleppo and its western suburbs , according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights . The United States and Russia have been essentially on opposing sides of the conflict but had recently agreed to the ceasefire and some cooperation . But the two powers were quick to accuse each other of violating the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefire, and Moscow has long opposed the US position of supporting and arming what it calls moderate rebels to fight ISIS . The US State Department blamed Moscow and the Syrian regime for hampering the delivery of aid . " 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 .
The Syrian ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireis breaking down in Aleppo , as the deal brokered by Russia and the United States shows signs of strain . The breakdown threatens a planned United Nations effort to provide aid to Syria ’s largest city , Aleppo , where upwards of 250,000 people are trapped by the hostilities . The below video shows the eerie but anxious calm that fell over Aleppo as the ceasefire began .
The pair - Yevgeny Yerofeyev and Alexander Alexandrov - were captured in eastern Ukraine last May. Russia denies sending troops to the region and has said the men were volunteers who had left active service . A fragile ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireis in place in eastern Ukraine between the army and pro - Russian rebels . The court in Kiev found Yerofeyev and Alexandrov guilty of waging an " aggressive war " against Ukraine , committing a terrorist act and using weapons to provoke an armed conflict , the Interfax news agency reported . The two men had denied the charges .
And it would stop the flow of refugees that is reaching crisis proportions in Europe . " The URL of that press release now redirects to her Syria issues page , but the release is still available via the Internet Archive . Stein 's issues page includes a more toned - down call for " principled collaboration in bringing a weapons embargo to the region , freezing the bank accounts of countries that continue to fund terrorist groups , promoting a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefire, and supporting inclusive peace talks . " Updated 1:22 p.m. : Stein spokeswoman Meleiza Figueroa says the statement , which appeared on Stein 's website for 11 months , was posted in error and does n't reflect her views . " Dr. Stein has never taken that position and had not seen or approved that statement , which was mistakenly posted on the website in November 2015 . "
While the ceasefire has reduced fighting , some violence has persisted across Syria . Meanwhile , there has been little movement on promised aid deliveries to besieged areas and both sides have accused the other of bad faith . Russia 's Defence Ministry said conditions in Syria were deteriorating , adding that it believed the ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirehad been breached 199 times by rebels and saying the United States would be responsible if it were to collapse . After the Deir al - Zor attack , it said Moscow had told the United States to rein in the Syrian opposition and make sure it did not launch a new offensive , adding that it had informed Washington about a concentration of rebels north of Hama . Insurgents say they only reluctantly accepted the initial deal , which they believe is skewed against them , because it could relieve the dire humanitarian situation in besieged areas they control , and blamed Russia for undermining the truce .
It did n’t just emerge out of thin air . And not to get into the details of how this conflict evolved , I think it ’s important , though , to say that , you know , the U.S. , their hands are not — are not clean , that this notion that the U.S. was standing on the side and not involved , that narrative is a false narrative . And this idea that the collapse of the last ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirecan be put at the foot of the Russians is , in fact , a outright lie . Now , that may be painful for folks who are not following the situation very closely , but it is , in fact , a fact , that , basically , the Pentagon undermined the agreement , the ceasefire agreement , that was negotiated by John Kerry , when they attacked the Syrian army and killed 62 of their soldiers , when they attacked a known site . That was the effective collapse of that ceasefire .
( CNN ) The United States and Russia have announced a plan to bring about a ceasefire in Syria , US Secretary of State John Kerry said . " Today we are announcing an arrangement that we think has the capability of sticking , but it 's dependent on people 's choices , " Kerry said Friday in Geneva , Switzerland , appearing alongside Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov . Kerry said the pact calls for the Syrian government and the opposition to respect a nationwide ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefirescheduled to take effect at sundown Monday . The Syrian regime announced its support of the ceasefire deal Saturday , according to the state - run al - Ikhbariya TV . Secretary of State John Kerry and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov unveil the new plan Friday .
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/syria-civil-war-staff-manning-us-ceasefire-hotline-cant-speak-arabic-34511855.html http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/world-news/article34497762.ece/b9e1e/AUTOCROP/h342/PANews%20BT_P-61be2583-7b15-4f1b-8945-028152c2217e_I1.jpg Email The US State Department has admitted that its round - the - clock hotline service for Syrians to report violations of the recent ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefireneeds improvement , following reports that the volunteers manning the phones were unable to understand the Arabic speakers who called in . The hotline was set up on Saturday after the declaration of a tentative ceasefire in Syria ’s devastating civil war . Witnesses on the ground have been encouraged to call and report any breaches of the agreement between rebels and the regime of President Bashar al - Assad .
She also said the United States had admitted some 85,000 refugees over the past fiscal year , which ends Sept. 30 . That figure included about 12,500 Syrian refugees , exceeding the administration 's goal of 10,000 , she said . State Department spokesman Mark Toner said the push for additional humanitarian aid funds came in part because of deteriorating conditions in Aleppo after the collapse of a ceasefiregovernment.agreements.acceptagreementcontractceasefiresponsored by the United States and Russia . The forces of Syrian President Bashar al - Assad have launched a massive push against rebel - held areas of the city , where some 250,000 civilians are believed to be trapped . Intensive bombing has killed hundreds of people , many of whom died in buildings collapsed by bunker - buster bombs .