Secretary-General Strongly Condemns Ongoing Air Strikes in North‑West Syria, Stressing Civilians, Medical Facilities Must Be Protected

The following statement was issued today by the Spokesman for UN Secretary-General António Guterres:

The Secretary-General strongly condemns ongoing airstrikes impacting civilians in north‑west Syria, including those on medical facilities and medical workers.

Several health facilities were reportedly hit yesterday, including a hospital in Maarat al Numan, one of the largest hospitals in the area and whose coordinates had been shared through the United Nations de-confliction mechanism.

Civilians and civilian infrastructure, including medical facilities, must be protected.  Parties to the conflict must respect their obligations under international humanitarian law.  Perpetrators of serious violations of international humanitarian law must be held accountable.

The Secretary-General reiterates his urgent call for the September 2018 memorandum of understanding on Idlib to be upheld.