According to the report, Assad forces are shelling the Syrian earthquake zone. That is why the magnitude of the destruction is so great

According to Syrian sources and British politicians, the government forces of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad apparently attacked areas affected by the quake. This is reported by the London-based Middle East Eye (MEE) news agency. British MP Alicia Kearns, chair of the Foreign Affairs Committee, said in a statement that Assad launched a “truly callous and horrific attack” on Marea in the hours following the earthquake. The city is located in northwestern Syria.

A military source stationed nearby apparently confirmed the incident, saying there had been “no material or human casualties”. According to a civilian source, the shelling came less than two hours after the earthquake that has killed more than 10,000 people in Turkey and Syria so far. An activist from Marea told MEE that four or five shells fell in the area. On Monday morning, reinforcements from the Syrian army – some five tanks and other military vehicles – were also seen heading towards the southern Syrian province of Suweida.

British Foreign Secretary James Cleverly described the attack on Marea as “completely unacceptable”. “Unfortunately, this speaks to a long-standing pattern of behavior by the Assad regime, a regime that we condemn, have sanctioned and will continue to punish – in coordination with our international friends and partners – to prevent such behavior from happening again.” said, according to data from Sky News.

In Syria, civil war broke out in 2011 after anti-government protests, with many foreign interventions, killing more than 350,000 people over a decade. The Assad government now controls about two-thirds of the fragmented country. Ruler Bashar al-Assad is supported by Russia and Iran – and exiled by the West.

Aid to the victims of the civil war in Syria is therefore more difficult than in Turkey and diplomatically delicate. 4.8 million people live in the rebel- and Islamist-controlled earthquake zone in northwest Syria, which is difficult to reach. The earthquake disaster hit areas in the north under different control, making work difficult for relief workers. Almost all humanitarian aid comes through Bab al-Hawa – the only crossing of the Turkish-Syrian border guaranteed by a UN resolution.

Rescuers in Syria suspect hundreds of families are still under the rubble. One of the hardest hit areas in the country is the rebel-held region of Idlib. On Wednesday, the death toll in Syria and Turkey exceeded 10,000. A further increase in the number of victims is expected – many people are still buried in the freezing cold.

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(t-online, dpa, afp, cha)