Kurdish, Arab forces advance in Tel Rifaat
Al Aan reporter Jenan Moussa says that the Kurdish YPG militia and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), a coalition of Kurdish, Arab, Turkoman, Armenian and Assyrian militias, have advanced in the town of Tel Rifaat in northern Syria.
Some opposition groups have pulled out of the town and Turkish shelling on Kurdish targets around Tel Rifaat is much less today, Moussa reports.
Bulgaria charges three Syrians with trying to join IS group
Prosecutors in Bulgaria have charged three Syrians with trying to join the IS group after border patrols arrested them attempting to cross into Turkey from Bulgaria, the interior ministry has said according to Reuters.
The three Syrians had refugee status from Germany.
U.S. Army Col. Steve Warren calls today's strikes on a MSF-supported hospital in Marat al-Numan in Syria's Idlib province "terrible news," says the only U.S.-led air strikes in Syria today were near Raqqa and Hasakah.
Kurdish-led SDF: Turkish strikes won't stop us advancing to Azaz -- Syria Direct
The Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) militia are gaining ground in their advance toward the Syrian border city of Azaz despite Turkish shelling on its positions to halt it, an SDF commander has told Syria Direct today.
Syrian envoy in Moscow blames U.S. for attacks on MSF hospital
The Syrian Ambassador to Moscow, Riad Haddad, has said that U.S. planes carried out the airstrikes that destroyed a hospital operated by Doctors Without Borders, Reuters reports.
Haddad told the Rossiya 24 TV channel that the hospital was destroyed by "the American Air Force. The Russian Air Force has nothing to do it with."
France, Turkey say air strikes on Syria hospitals are war crimes
France and Turkey have said that air strikes on hospitals in northern Syria are war crimes, with Turkey's foreign ministry blaming Russia for the attacks, the BBC reports this morning.
At least 12 people were killed in Azaz and the surrounding area yesterday, with two hospitals and two schools reportedly hit.
In Maarat al-Numan in Idlib province a hospital supported by medical NGO Doctors Without Borders (MSF ) was reduced to rubble.
Seven people were killed and another eight are still missing MSF said, calling it a "deliberate" attack.
Assad says Syria ceasefire will be 'difficult' to implement
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has said that a ceasefire proposal put forward by the United States and Russia on Feb. 12 would be "difficult" to implement.
Deutsche Welle reports Assad's comments:
"They are saying they want a ceasefire in a week. Who is capable of gathering all the conditions and requirements in a week? No one," Assad told lawyers during a televised speech at Syria's Bar Association in Damascus.
"Who will talk to the terrorists? If a terrorist group refuses the ceasefire, who will hold them to account? Practically, talking (about a ceasefire) is difficult," the Syrian president said.
"Regarding a ceasefire, a halt to operations, if it happened, it doesn't mean that each party will stop using weapons," said Assad.
"A ceasefire must mean stopping terrorists from strengthening their positions. Moving weapons, equipment, terrorists or strengthening positions must all be forbidden," the Syrian president added.