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Dion called for an immediate end to airstrikes in the city of Aleppo, where Russian and Syrian government forces have conducted an unprecedented number of airstrikes in recent weeks. And he brushed aside a “pause” in the bombing instituted by Russia earlier this week.

“A short humanitarian pause, announced unilaterally, without notice and without clear parameters, does not allow the necessary aid,” said Dion.

About 250,000 people are trapped in rebel-held parts of the city, which aid convoys have not been able to reach since July. UN officials reported that water and food supplies are running dangerously low and half of those caught in the crossfire are children.

But Vitaly Churkin, Russia’s ambassador to the UN, showed no signs of backing down. Instead, he repeated past assertions that Russian and Syrian forces were fighting terrorist groups, some of which have been trained and equipped by the U.S.

Churkin went on to note that Dion had made no mention of either the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant or other terrorist groups, and he appeared to question if Canada was committed to fighting such elements.

Syrian Ambassador to the UN Bashar Jaafari also attacked Canada, accusing it of violating his country’s sovereignty by deploying military forces inside Syria without permission.

Canadian fighter jets conducted several bombing missions against ISIL inside Syria between March 2015 and February 2016. While those warplanes have since been withdrawn, Canada still has two surveillance planes and an air-to-air refuelling aircraft operating in Syrian and Iraqi airspace.