UNSC Holds Closed Meeting On Attacks On Hospitals In Syria's Idlib - Nebenzia

UNITED NATIONS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th July, 2019) The United Nations Security Council held a closed meeting to discuss the recent attacks on hospitals in Syria's Idlib, Russia's Ambassador to the United Nations Vassily Nebenzia told reporters on Thursday.

"The humanitarian trio is blaming [us] for the bombing of the hospitals, I provided the information from our Ministry of Defense," Nebenzia said. "The investigation by our Ministry of Defense and Deconfliction Center demonstrated that there were no attacks at nine of 11 facilities that were allegedly being attacked."

The ambassador said that the two facilities sustained partial damages but rejected suggestions that Russian forces were responsible for any airstrikes on hospitals in Idlib.

"Who did that - either this is the terrorist themselves, who often use it as a tactic, or somebody else - we do not know," Nebenzia added.

The Russian diplomat said that the information he presented during the consultations cast a "grain of doubt" on the narrative embraced by Security Council members who are accusing Russia of attacking civilian targets.

The so-called humanitarian troika on Syria - Belgium, Germany and Kuwait - had requested the meeting earlier in the day.

On July 10, health facilities, including one of the largest hospitals in the city of Maarat al Numan, south of Idlib, were reportedly hit by airstrikes. The coordinates of the hospital were previously shared with the parties to the conflict.

Media reported that the airstrikes claimed lives of at least seven civilians, including children.

The civil conflict in Syria has been ongoing since 2011 between President Bashar Assad's government and various opposition groups, including terrorist organizations.

�Scores of various armed groups, including the Jabhat al-Nusra terror group (banned in Russia), are currently operating in Idlib. There are reportedly 30,000 militants, including foreign mercenaries, in the region.