Syrian ambassador laughs when asked if his government bombed Aleppo hospitals

Syrian ambassador laughs when asked if his government bombed Aleppo hospitals
September 29, 2019, 7:15 am

Bashar Jaafari attends the United Nations Security Council emergency meeting on the situation in Syria on September 25 CREDIT: AFP

Avideo showing Syria's ambassador to the United Nations laughing when asked if his government had bombed two hospitals in Aleppo has sparked outrage.

When Al Jazeera diplomatic editor James Bays asked Bashar Jaafari, the Syrian government's top negotiator, if his country's military had bombed two hospitals in Aleppo on Wednesday, the ambassador simply laughed as he walked away.

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"Whether that was a laugh of contempt or glee or whether it was just a nervous laugh, was quite an extraordinary reaction when his government is accused of war crimes, but he audibly laughs," Mr Bays reported from the United Nations in New York.

Two of besieged Aleppo’s largest hospitals were put out of service after they were hit by air strikes and artillery fire within minutes of each other at 4am.

Samantha Power, the US ambassador to the UN, described the video, which was shared by Al Jazeera producer Whitney Hurst, as "chilling".

"This is the face of the Syrian regime and Russia’s actions in Aleppo – absolutely no regard for the thousands being slaughtered. Chilling," she posted on Twitter with a link to the Al Jazeera clip.

The US ambassador also described the attacks as “barbarism,” accusing Russia and its ally, president Bashar al-Assad, of "laying waste to what is left of an iconic Middle Eastern city."

Charles Lister, a senior fellow at the DC-based Middle East Institute, said the clip exemplifies "the Assad regime's callous nature:"

"If 10 seconds could ever sum up the #Assad regime's callous nature, this clip from @baysontheroad & @AJENews would be it."

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Russian and Syrian warplanes have been pounding opposition-held Aleppo with an unprecedented ferocity since declaring an all-out offensive to retake the city. More than 350 people have been killed since last Friday, leaving hospitals overflowing and doctors unable to cope.

Last week, in a display of disgust towards the Assad regime, Matthew Rycroft, the British ambassador to the UN, walked out of a specially convened Security Council meeting when Mr Jaafari rose to speak.

“Aleppo’s inhabitants… are now facing an unprecedented, unrelenting onslaught of cruelty,” Mr Rycroft said at the time.

“In short, it is difficult to deny that Russia is partnering with the Syrian regime to carry out war crimes.”

Ban Ki-moon, the United Nations chief, also condemned the latest attacks as “war crimes” on Wednesday.

"Let us be clear. Those using ever more destructive weapons know exactly what they are doing. They know they are committing war crimes," Mr Ban told the UN Security Council.

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Rights groups have accused Syrian and Russian forces of deliberately targeting medical facilities, with Amnesty International earlier this year accusing the allies of "wiping out hospitals as part of their military strategy."

Most of the hospitals have moved into basements to protect against strikes, but Russian warplanes last week began dropping bunker-buster bombs, which can penetrate deep underground and level entire buildings.

Last week the almost complete rupture of relations between Russia and the Western powers played out in angry scenes at the UN’s New York headquarters, where Britain, France and the US openly condemned Russia as “an international pariah.”