The al-Rahma/Mercy Hospital in the town of Talmenes, southern rural Idlib, has been completely rendered out of service, due to the Russian air raids that targeted the area, taking a toll on civilians.

Today, Wednesday (August 21), Enab Baladi’s correspondent for Hama reported that the Russian aircraft have aimed its attacks at the Private al-Rahma Hospital in the town of Telmenes, southern Idlib, causing its destruction and leaving it out of service.

The Russian aircraft have targeted the hospital with four consecutive air raids, an official of the Syria Civil Defense in Idlib, Mustafa al-Haj Yousef, said, that in addition to the hospital’s unserviceability, a man has died and another was injured, in what he referred to as the initial record of casualties.

Al-Haj Yousef also told Enab Baladi that the hospital is severely destroyed, for one of the raids has directly hit its center.

For days, the areas in southern and eastern rural Idlib have been bearing witness to an extensive aerial offensive, launched by the Syrian and Russian warplanes, which correspond to brutal battles in the area that facilitated for massive progress on the part of the regime’s forces and their allies in the past two days.

The aerial bombardment has today covered the towns of Bsheiriyeh, Ma’ar Shimmareen, Ariha, Saraqib, Talmenes and Jarjanas, leading to the death and injury of several civilians and significant damage of properties, according to the Civil Defense’s initial record of casualties.

Also today, the civil, political and vocational bodies in Idlib have appealed to the International Security Council and the United Nations/UN, calling them to interfere immediately to stop the targeting of the population, medical and healthcare facilities, schools, marketplaces and houses.

These bodies, represented by the Civil Defence, Directorate of Education, Idlib’s Directorate of Healthcare, Syrian Revolution Assembly, Syrian Women Assembly, Vocational Syndicates and Unions Assembly and the Political Committee in Idlib, considered that what Idlib is suffering is “a mass genocide, under which all the described and documented war crimes have been committed.”

Beginning late in April, Idlib province has been a target to a military offensive, launched by the regime’s forces, who have the aerial cover of the Russian warplanes, focusing the shelling on the residential neighborhoods, marketplaces and vital centers.

The UN has recorded 29 incidents of this sort, including 25 attacks on healthcare facilities and employees, in addition to 45 attacks on schools since the end of April.

Russia is facing international charges for bombarding hospitals and medical posts in its latest offensive on Idlib, north-western Syria.

For his part, Mark Lowcock, Under-Secretary-General for OCHA, demanded that Russia presents explanations of the methods according to which is using the coordinates of medical centers in Idlib.

Briefing the Security Council on June 26, Lowcock said that he is “not sure” the system was fulfilling its role, speaking of the deconfliction mechanism.

“I have written to the Russian Federation to request information as to how the details provided through the deconfliction mechanism are used,” Lowcock added.