The United States believes Russia bombed the humanitarian convoy that forced the United Nations to halt aid to war-torn Syria on Monday.
The doomed convoy was traveling near the besieged city of Aleppo, previously Syria’s most populous city.
Outside of the U.S.-led air campaign against the Islamic State, only Russia and the Syrian government have warplanes, Deputy National Security Adviser Ben Rhodes said Tuesday.
“We have not seen good faith; this was an outrageous action,” Rhodes said about Russia’s blatant disregard for the cease-fire it negotiated between President Bashar Assad’s government and U.S.-backed rebels fighting him.
“We find it to be completely contrary to the agreement that was negotiated and further demonstration of the type of bombardment and disrespect for innocent civilian life we have seen from the Syrian regime and its Russian sponsor for a long time now,” Rhodes said. “I do believe it raises serious questions about whether this agreement moves forward.”
The revelation comes as President Obama addressed a special session of the United Nations General Assembly dedicated to the Syrian refugee crisis, during which Obama announced new financial aid for countries hosting the most Syrian refugees, such as Lebanon.
The U.S. will give such “middle-income” nations another $50 million for bearing the brunt of the Syrian refugee burden.
