Staffan de Mistura voices his shock at the indiscriminate use of heavy weapons on civilian suburbs during effort to break siege

This article is more than 3 years old

This article is more than 3 years old

The United Nations envoy for Syria has said he is “appalled and shocked” by indiscriminate rocket warfare targeting civilians in Aleppo after three days of a fresh rebel offensive in which dozens have died.

Staffan de Mistura said: “Those who argue that this is meant to relieve the siege of eastern Aleppo should be reminded that nothing justifies the use of disproportionate and indiscriminate weapons, including heavy ones, on civilian areas and it could amount to war crimes.”

Syrian insurgents on Sunday kept up their shelling of government-controlled areas of the city, killing at least seven people, including three children, state TV reported, and used car bombs and tanks to push into new territory in western areas. The Syrian government claimed the opposition fighters used toxic gas.

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The attacks raised the death toll in the three-day old offensive to at least 41 civilians, including 16 children, according to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The observatory said hundreds of mortars were lobbed.

The offensive aims to breach a government siege on Aleppo’s rebel-held eastern districts, apparently aiming to push out government troops from frontline areas.

A tight siege has been in place since July, trapping nearly 275,000 civilians in eastern rebel-held Aleppo. The dividing lines between government-held and rebel-controlled Aleppo are often streets lined with deserted buildings or extended plastic sheets to mark rival turfs.

Russia and the Syrian government have halted their airstrikes on the rebel-held part of Aleppo since last week to allow for the evacuation of wounded and civilians. But no evacuation took place and efforts to allow medical and food supplies into the besieged area also faltered. Meanwhile, pro-government troops kept up a ground offensive against rebel-held areas.

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Ibrahim al-Haj, a member of the first responders team the Syrian Civil Defense that operates in rebel-held Aleppo, said airstrikes Sunday on districts near the front line caused material damage. He also said government artillery shelling killed three people and wounded seven Sunday.

A day earlier, artillery shelling killed a member of the civil defence team, also known as White Helmets, al-Haj said.

The cycle of violence in the contested city has only escalated after US-Russia efforts failed to secure an internationally monitored ceasefire.

“The civilians of both sides of Aleppo have suffered enough due to futile but lethal attempts of subduing the city of Aleppo,” De Mistura said. “They now need and deserve a stable ceasefire covering this ancient city of Syria.”

Opposition fighters advanced on Sunday into the frontline neighborhood of al-Hamadaniyeh.

Videos posted by the al-Qaida-linked Fatah al-Sham group showed insurgents advancing into the neighborhood in tanks and other military vehicles. The group’s leader, Abu Mohammed al-Golani, appeared in pictures discussing battlefield details with field commanders over a map.

In a statement late Saturday, the insurgent alliance warned residents of frontline government-held areas to stay indoors or use shelters, declaring them a military zone.

On Sunday, a Syrian military official, speaking on condition of anonymity in line with regulations, said the government was reinforcing its positions in and around the city to repel rebel advances.

The observatory director Rami Abdurrahman said about 1,000 government artillery troops arrived in Aleppo from central Syria on Saturday to take part in the counteroffensive. He estimated between 2,000 and 2,500 insurgent fighters were taking part.

Abdurrahman said several civilians were reportedly suffering from breathing difficulties following an insurgent attack in al-Hamadaniyeh on Sunday. But Abdurrahman couldn’t not confirm or deny if this was due to use of toxins.

A rebel spokesman dismissed government accusations they used gas. Idriss Raad, a member of Faylaq al-Sham rebel group, said the opposition did not possess such weapons and would not attack areas with its own supporters. “The rebel would not target his people,” he said in an exchange of messages.

The Syrian state news agency Sana said 48 people were treated for breathing difficulties. State TV showed residents and medics wearing masks rushing people into a hospital.

Opposition fighters and the government have exchanged accusations of using chemical attacks on their respective areas.

An international team has determined that the Syrian government carried out a chemical attack in 2015, the third to be blamed on the government. An August report also blamed Islamic State militants for another chemical attack in 2015. Isis is not part of the insurgent offensive on western Aleppo.