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Executive Summary for March 17th

We review key events in Syria, including the U.S. denying that it killed civilians in Aleppo, Israel refuting claims that one of its aircraft was shot down and Russia calling for a U.N. investigation into chemical weapons after vetoing a resolution on their use.

Published on March 17, 2017 Read time Approx. 2 minutes

U.S. Confirms Airstrikes on Northwestern Syria, Denies Killing Civilians

Airstrikes at a mosque in western Aleppo province killed 42 people, mostly civilians, according to the United Kingdom-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, BBC News reported.

Russian, Syrian and United States aircraft are active in the area. The U.S. confirmed it carried out an airstrike but denied killing any civilians, claiming it was targeting an al-Qaida meeting, according to Al Jazeera.

“We did not target a mosque, but the building that we did target – which was where the meeting [of militants] took place – is about 50ft (15m) from a mosque that is still standing,” spokesman Colonel John J. Thomas said.

Israel Rejects Claim Its Fighter Jet Was Shot Down in Raid

The Syrian army claimed to have shot down an Israeli jet that had breached its airspace on Friday, Reuters reported.

Israel attacked a pro-government military position near Palmyra, aiding the so-called Islamic State, according to the Syrian military.

Israel denied the claim, stating that all its aircraft had returned without damage.

An Israeli military spokesman said that overnight its aircraft struck a number of targets in Syria. “Several anti-aircraft missiles were launched from Syria following the mission and aerial defence systems intercepted one of the missiles.”

Russia Calls for New U.N. Investigation of Chemical Weapons

Russia called on the United Nations to cut off terrorists’ access to chemical weapons, the country’s TASS news agency reported.

ISIS militants “have developed technologies of manufacturing chemical weapons and are actively using them,” Russia’s deputy envoy to the U.N. Vladimir Safronkov told the Security Council on Thursday.

The reports “need a prompt response of the U.N. Security Council and a thorough investigation,” he said. He also suggested that the joint commission of the U.N. and the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW) should handle the issue.

Moscow recently vetoed a U.N. resolution on the use of chemical weapons in Syria after a joint commission of the U.N. and OPCW found the Syrian government responsible for at least three chemical attacks between 2014 and 2015, and ISIS responsible for one. Russia is a key ally of the Assad government.

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