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No evidence of Russia attacks on Syria hospitals: Moscow

Thursday, 18 February 2016 2:32 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 20 February 2016 1:42 PM ]

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova

Russia has dismissed accusations of bombing hospitals in Syria, including one supported by the medical aid group Doctors Without Borders (MSF).

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said in her weekly press conference on Thursday that Western countries blaming Moscow for airstrikes on hospitals in Syria "have neither direct nor indirect evidence" to prove their allegations.

"All this is a lie," the Russian spokeswoman said in reference to the accusations, which have been mainly coming from Turkey.

Zakharova also said any incursion into the Syrian territory by any foreign nation would be illegal.

On Monday, almost 50 civilians, including children, were killed in bombings of at least five medical facilities and two schools in Syria's provinces of Aleppo and Idlib. One of the hospitals, which were targeted in the attacks, was supported by MSF.

The MSF confirmed its hospital was hit but did not assign blame.

People gather around the rubble of a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders (MSF) near Ma'arrat al-Nu'man, in Syria's province of Idlib, on February 15, 2016, after the building was hit by airstrikes. (AFP photo)

Following the bombings, Turkey, which backs militants fighting against the Syrian government, held Russia responsible for the attacks, accusing the Kremlin of carrying out an “obvious war crime” in Syria.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Russia denies and does “not accept such statements, especially because those who make such statements are unable to prove their allegations in any way."

Syrian Ambassador to Moscow Riad Haddad said airstrikes on the MSF-operated hospital were carried out by US planes.

"It was destroyed by the American Air Force. The Russian Air Force has nothing to do it with," the envoy said.

The US-led coalition has been conducting air raids against what are said to be the Daesh terrorists inside Syria since September 2014 without any authorization from Damascus or a UN mandate.

Since late September 2015, Russia has been conducting airstrikes against foreign-backed militants in Syria upon a request by the Damascus government.

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