BEIRUT (AP) – The Latest on Syria’s conflict as a partial cease-fire enters its sixth day (all times local):
2:20 p.m.
Syrian state TV is reporting an electricity blackout across the country for unknown reasons.
Syria TV reported Thursday that the electricity network was suddenly down across the entire country. It says maintenance crews were working on fixing the problem in the next few hours.
Electricity blackouts have been frequent in the course of Syria’s five-year conflict but it is rare for the whole country to be affected. Previous blackouts were blamed on rebel attacks targeting the electricity network but no reason was giving for Thursday’s blackout
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1:30 p.m.
Russian and Syrian government forces have been targeting hospitals as a strategy of war in Syria’s conflict, according to a report released by a rights group Thursday.
Amnesty International said it has “compelling evidence” of at least six deliberate attacks on medical facilities in the Aleppo governorate over the past twelve weeks, which killed at least three civilians, including a medical worker, and injured 44 more. It said the attacks amounted to war crimes.
Aleppo witnessed some of the country’s fiercest fighting in the buildup to the partial cease-fire that came into effect Friday as government forces backed by Russian airstrikes cut off a rebel supply route from Turkey.
Amnesty said the attacks on medical facilities aimed to pave the way for pro-government ground forces to advance on northern Aleppo.