Washington DC- The city of Idleb was targeted by airstrikes on Sunday, December 20, causing mass casualties and damage. Four missiles were reportedly launched from helicopter gunships. 82 civilians have been reported killed with that number expected to rise, 196 injured and 15 people are still missing, buried under rubble of a six-story collapsed building. Rescue efforts are underway to extract trapped civilians.
The UOSSM office in Idleb sustained damages due to the strikes. Dr. Aiman Yasoof, UOSSM office manager of Idleb province reports that staff members were unharmed. The Dayr Asafeer Hospital was also hit, two people were wounded and an ambulance was damaged. This latest strike comes as the UN Security Council Adopted Resolution 2254 on December 19, 2015 which states “All parties immediately cease any attacks against civilians and civilian objects as such, including attacks against medical facilities and personnel.”
“The targeting of medical facilities has increased dramatically in recent months and the attacks in Idleb are the latest in a string of indiscriminate attacks that have decimated the civilian population and severely hindered the medical infrastructure ” said Dr. Khaula Sawah, CEO of UOSSM USA. “We continue to demand that all targeting of civilian areas and medical facilities cease and that all parties adhere to the requirements laid out in UNSC Resolution 2254 for a ceasefire, underscored with basic need for humanitarian laws and norms to be followed,” said Sawah.
