The Latest on developments in Syria's civil war (all times local):
6:30 p.m.
The medical charity Doctors Without Borders
says the death toll from the bombing of a hospital and nearby buildings
in Aleppo in Syria has risen to 50, including 6 medical staff and
patients.
The organization, also known by its French acronym MSF, says in a Friday
statement that the bombing a day earlier of Quds hospital, in a
rebel-held neighborhood of the city, destroyed one of the last remaining
places in Aleppo in which "you could still find humanity."
MSF warned that the 250,000 residents in the rebel-held parts of Aleppo
are in danger of being completely cut off and left without medical care.
Airstrikes on the hospital late Wednesday drew international condemnation.
Muskilda Zancada, head of MSF's Syria mission, says "the sky is falling in Aleppo
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6:00 p.m.
The Russian Foreign Ministry has condemned the shelling of its consulate
in the Syrian city of Aleppo, calling it a "terrorist attack."
The ministry said Friday that no one was injured when one mortar hit the
consulate grounds and three more exploded just outside the fence the
previous afternoon.
All Russian diplomats were transferred out of Aleppo in January 2013,
and since then the consulate has been guarded by Syrian citizens.
Russia said it believed the mortar attack had been carried out by the al-Qaida affiliated Nusra Front and its allies.
The ministry statement said such attacks should be rebuffed and called
for improved coordination between Russia and the United States in their
efforts to monitor the partial two-month-old cease-fire
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2:30 p.m.
Syrian state media say rebels have shelled a mosque in a government-held
area of the northern city of Aleppo, killing at least 15 people and
wounding 30.
State TV says several rockets hit the mosque and its surroundings as
worshippers were leaving after Friday prayers. It said the attack struck
the Malla Khan mosque in the Bab al-Faraj neighborhood.
The shelling comes after government airstrikes on rebel-held parts of
Aleppo were reported shortly after a morning lull had engulfed the
contested city, following days of deadly violence that killed scores.
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2:10 p.m.
The Syrian army has declared a temporary truce for the capital,
Damascus, and its suburbs, and the coastal province of Latakia — but not
for the contested northern city of Aleppo.
What impact the unilateral declaration would have was not immediately
clear. It's unlikely the opposition would abide by it after days of
government airstrikes and bombardments killed dozens in Aleppo.
The announcement was read on Syrian state TV on Friday. The army says the cease-fire will go into effect at 1 a.m. on Saturday.
The military statement says it will last 24 hours in Damascus and its suburbs and three days in Latakia.
Opposition activists say that only over the past week, more than 200 civilians have been killed in Aleppo.
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1:20 p.m.
Syrian opposition activists say government warplanes have launched fresh
air raids on rebel-held parts of the northern city of Aleppo.
Friday's airstrikes followed a brief lull in the morning, a day after
scores people were killed in air raids and shelling in the contested
city. Fears of more violence prompted religious leaders in rebel-held
neighborhoods to suspend Friday prayers at the city mosques.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said one person
was killed while another activist group, the Local Coordination
Committees, said three died in the strikes. Several people were also
reported wounded.
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11:30 a.m.
Syrian opposition activists say the northern city of Aleppo is mostly
calm after days of intense shelling and airstrikes that killed dozens.
The carnage has propelled the city — contested since the summer of 2012
when opposition fighters stormed it and took over several neighborhoods —
once again as a main battlefield in Syria's devastating civil war.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says there has
been no major fighting or violence inside Aleppo since early Friday
morning. The Observatory says a week of bombardments and air raids
killed 123 people in rebel-held parts of the city and 71 and
government-held areas.
An activist based in the city says the bombardment slowed down to a halt
after midnight. He spoke on condition of anonymity, fearing for his
safety.
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