Airstrikes hit hospital in Syria’s Hama, 1 killed

By Burak Karacaoglu and Esref Musa

IDLIB, Syria (AA) - At least one person was killed and five others injured on Wednesday in airstrikes on a hospital in western Syria, health officials said.

The hospital in Kafr Zita town, Hama province, was targeted by three airstrikes, its spokesman Hassan al-Aaraj told Anadolu Agency.

“One of the medical staff was killed and five people were injured,” he said.

“Thereby, the only hospital in northern Hama has become out of service.”

A Syrian opposition aircraft observatory said: “Russian warplanes took off from Hmeimim airbase in Latakia province and targeted Kafr Zita Specialized hospital.”

Hama’s northern countryside, where the attack took place, falls within de-escalation zones defined last year in Astana peace talks.

Airstrikes were also reported in northwestern Idlib province.

Moustafa Haj Youssef, the director of the White Helmets civil defense agency in Idlib, told Anadolu Agency that intense airstrikes had been ongoing in residential areas since noon.

Youssef said six civilians were killed and eight injured during airstrikes in western Mishmishan village.

The fatalities included five children and a woman.

Syria has remained locked in a vicious conflict since 2011 when the regime cracked down on demonstrators with unexpected ferocity.

Since then, hundreds of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict and millions more rendered homeless, according to UN figures.