Missile attacks kill 50 in Syria: UN chief expresses "deep concern"



Missile attacks on at least five medical facilities and two schools in Syria have reportedly killed 50 civilians and injured many others.


The UN Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon said he was "deeply concerned" by the reports, describing them as "blatant violations" of international law.


Air-strikes and other missile attacks in northern Syria have been continuing, despite hopes that a ceasefire between the warring parties which was agreed to last week at a meeting in Germany could become effective within days. 


A strike on a hospital operated by the medical charity Medecins Sans Frontieres reportedly killed seven, and a further eight people are missing. 

Strikes on another hospital in the same town, Azaz, killed at least 12, according to news reports. 
And in the cities of Aleppo and Idlib, there were further deaths as two schools came under fire. 

The deputy spokesperson for the UN Secretary-General, is Farhan Haq. He said Ban Ki-moon was "deeply concerned". 

"Such attacks are blatant violations of international laws. Among other consequences, they are further degrading the already devastated health care system and preventing access to education in Syria. These incidents cast a shadow on the commitments made at the International Syria Support Group meeting in Munich on 11 of February. We must capitalize on the agreements reached and translate them into action if the credibility of and confidence placed in the International Syria Support Group and the international community are to be justified."

Monday's attacks also leave tens of thousands of Syrian civilians without any basic medical care.
Five years of brutal civil war in Syria, have left well over 250,000 dead, and displaced more than 11 million people.


SOURCE: Matthew Wells, United Nations.