Egypt condemns indiscriminate bombardment in Syria’s Idlib

Egypt has strongly condemned what it described as the indiscriminate bombardment of Khan Sheikhoun town in Syria’s northwestern Idlib province, which resulted in the death and injury of hundreds on Tuesday.

In a statement the Egyptian foreign ministry said that the painful and unacceptable images of the massacre reaffirm the necessity of reaching a political solution to end the crisis in Syria, in light of the international community decisions and UN Security Council Resolution 2254, as well as the Geneva Conventions.

At least 72 civilians, among them 20 children, were killed in Tuesday’s attack in rebel-held Khan Sheikhun, and dozens more were left gasping for air, convulsing, and foaming at the mouth, doctors said.

Washington and London have pointed the finger at President Bashar Al-Assad’s government for the attack, although the regime has denied using chemical weapons.

The UN Security Council is due to hold an emergency meeting later Wednesday to discuss the attack, with Britain, France and the United States pushing a resolution demanding a swift investigation.

Moscow, which launched a military intervention in 2015 in support of Assad’s forces, said the deaths were caused when a Syrian air strike hit a terrorist warehouse containing “toxic substances.”

The Russian defence ministry said in a statement that the building housed a warehouse making bombs, with toxic substances, without saying if the strike was accidental or deliberate.

Syria’s army had earlier denied any use of chemical weapons, saying it has never used them, anytime, anywhere, and will not do so in the future.

Source: Ahram online