Syrian truce ‘continues to fray’ as conflict widens: US

By Michael Hernandez

WASHINGTON

Ongoing hostilities in Aleppo have further imperiled Syria’s cessation of hostilities, the White House said Tuesday, warning of a “deteriorating" security situation.

“The cessation of hostilities is continuing to fray, particularly in some areas in and around Aleppo,” spokesman Josh Earnest told reporters. “That is why the United States has been working so tenaciously through diplomatic channels to try to refresh the cessation.”

That includes working “directly with opposition forces to persuade them to live up to the commitments that they've made in the context of the cessation of hostilities,” Earnest said, adding that Russia should do the same with the Syrian government.

Syrian rebel forces began a new offensive on government positions in Aleppo on Tuesday amid widened violence in the war-torn city.

A hospital in a government-controlled western district was reportedly struck by rebel fire, killing three women and wounding 17 other victims.

At least 253 civilians have been killed in recently renewed fighting in Syria’s second city, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

The Britain-based group uses a vast network of on the ground sources to collect its data.