German Chancellor Angela Merkel told a newspaper that she supports creating a no-fly zone in Syria to establish a safe place for refugees.
"In the current situation, it would be helpful if there was an area there in which none of the warring parties carry out attacks by air - so a type of no-fly zone," she told the Stuttgarter Zeitung newspaper in response to a question.
Merkel acknowledged the difficulty of negotiating a no-fly zone, which she had previously opposed. Turkey’s leader has also called for a no-fly zone to stem the tide of Syrian refugees, although some have questioned whether his ulterior motive is to resupply Turkmen in Syria without the threat of Russian airstrikes.
Merkel’s support for some type of no-fly zone comes after airstrikes in Syria that struck multiple hospitals and schools in 2 locations.
About 50 civilians were killed when missiles hit five medical centers and two schools in rebel-held Syrian towns on Monday, the United Nations and residents said.
The carnage occurred as Russian-backed Syrian troops intensified their push toward the rebel stronghold of Aleppo.
Fourteen people were killed in the town of Azaz near the Turkish border when missiles slammed into a school sheltering families fleeing the offensive and a children's hospital, two residents and a medic said.
Bombs also hit another refugee shelter south of the town and a convoy of trucks, another resident said.
In addition to civilians, the attacks killed Syrian medical personnel and several members (7 or 8) of Doctors Without Borders. The attacks are believed to have been carried out by Russia or the Syrian government; residents in the towns claim Russia was behind the strikes.
The Syrian Human Rights Watch reports that in the first month of Russia’s intervention in Syria, Russian airstrikes killed 254 civilians, including 83 children. In total, Russia has dropped more than 5238 barrel bombs, including 1428 in January 2016 alone. Hundreds to thousands of Syrian children have been killed by barrel bombs. Syrian rescue workers have also reported that some of the barrel bombs contained chlorine gas, a recognized chemical weapon.
Raed Saleh, head of the Syrian Civil Defence said: “When a child inhales chlorine they get a burning pain in their throat and eyes and they feel like they’re suffocating. Sometimes they vomit but often their breathing just gets shallower and they slip away, never to wake up again. It breaks your heart forever. I wish the world could see what I have seen with my eyes.”
“These children did not have to die. It’s not good enough for the United Nations to ban these chemical weapons on paper, they need to stop them from dropping from the sky. With a no-fly zone these children would be alive today.”
James Sadri, of the Syria Campaign, has also called for a no-fly zone.
James Sadri, a leader of the Syria Campaign, an advocacy group pushing for a no-fly zone, said that if the “agreement means the end of sieges in Syria,it will be welcome.” But, he said, “excluding Russian aerial attacks from a cease-fire is absurd.
Despite Merkel’s support for a no-fly zone, Russia and Syria are staunchly opposed. Almost everyone calling for a no-fly zone has emphasized the importance of securing Russia’s cooperation, which means a no-fly zone is highly unlikely. As a result, more innocent civilians will continue to die or suffer injury from aerial bombardment.