The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Syrian government air strikes put four hospitals out of action

Syrian government air strikes overnight put four hospitals in Aleppo province out of action, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday.

They included three hospitals in Aleppo city, which is divided between government and rebel control, and one in Aleppo’s western countryside, the Observatory said. It did not immediately report casualties. The strikes hit near the hospitals, it said.

Many hospitals have been hit or damaged during the five-year conflict. In April, an air strike on a hospital in rebel-held Aleppo killed dozens of people. Rebel rockets hit a hospital on the government side of the city a few days later.

Despite the strikes, the Syrian government said on Sunday it was ready for further peace talks with the opposition and that it was intent on a political solution to the five-year conflict.

Syria. is ready to continue the Syrian-Syrian dialogue without any preconditions … and without foreign interference, with the support of theUnited Nations, ” state news agency SANA quoted an official in the foreign ministry as saying.

The UN hopes to convene a new round of intra-Syrian peace talks in Geneva in August, its Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura said this week.

Previous rounds of talks this year broke down as fighting escalated, particularly around Aleppo, where government forces recently cut off the only road into rebel-held areas of the divided northern city.

The United States and Russia, which back opposing sides in the conflict, are meanwhile to discuss an American proposal for closer military cooperation and intelligence sharing on Syria to combat extremist groups.

Secretary of State John Kerry said this month that Washington and Damascusally Moscow had reached a common understanding on the steps needed to get Syria’s peace process back on track.

Source: http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/middle-east/syrian-government-air-strikes-put-four-hospitals-out-of-action-1.2732801