

3 killed, 17 injured in rebel rocket attack on Aleppo hospital – state media (VIDEOS)

At least three people have been killed and 17 injured in a rocket attack on a hospital in the Syrian city of Aleppo, Syria’s SANA news agency said, adding that women and children are reportedly among the casualties.

The incident took place at al-Dhabeet Hospital in al-Mouhafaza neighborhood which is said to be ruined after the attack.


The facility was under the control of government forces, and was targeted by a radical rebel group, Syrian state TV reported. 

There have still been conflicting reports about the number of casualties. UN Spokesperson Stéphane Dujarric said that at least three people were killed and 15 injured in the attack, according to TASS. 

Previously RIA Novosti cited a source from the pro-government militia based in Aleppo as reporting over a dozen people killed.

A news flash carried on state TV said that dozens were “martyred and wounded in rockets fired by terrorists.”

Last week, another hospital in Aleppo was targeted by an airstrike, which was blamed on the government forces. The Syrian government denied the accusation, however.

READ MORE: 14 killed in hospital strike in Syria's Aleppo while UN's de Mistura urges to protect ceasefire

The Syrian army said it was responding to the attack with “appropriate measures.

In a separate incident, a car bomb was blown up in Aleppo, a source in the local militia told RIA Novosti.

"A powerful explosion occurred in the al-Zahra quarter after terrorists detonated a car bomb. There are fatalities among the residents, many have been wounded with the numbers difficult to estimate at the moment," he added.

The UN Security Council has adopted a resolution on protection of civilians in armed conflicts following the deadly attack on an Aleppo hospital on Tuesday. The document demands protection of hospitals in war zones.

Aleppo, one of Syria’s largest cities, remains a hotspot, with different parts of the city held by various groups. The Islamist Al Nusra Front, which does not observe the US and Russia-negotiated ceasefire, is accused of staging attacks on both government forces and rebel groups to derail the truce.

On Tuesday, Syrian opposition fighters shelled government-held parts of the city, killing at least 12 people, the Syrian army said, as cited by AP. According to anti-government activists, the Syrian army’s shelling killed at least two people in the city.

“Shells and mortar rounds are raining down on every neighborhood of Aleppo,” Aleppo-based health official Mohammad Hazouri told AP.

Syrian Information Minister Omran al-Zoubi warned militants they will face harsh retaliation for the shelling of civilian areas, adding that government “patience is running out and if they don't stop targeting civilians in the coming hours ... they will pay a high price.”