UN chief appalled by military escalation in Syria's Aleppo

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said on Saturday that he is appalled by the military escalation in Syria's northern city of Aleppo.

In a statement released by his spokesperson, Ban said Aleppo is facing "the most sustained and intense bombardment since the start of the Syrian conflict."

Nearly 30 civilians were killed on Friday by bombardment in eastern part of Aleppo, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a local monitor group.

The incident came one day after the Syrian Defense Ministry announced the commencement of a new offensive on rebel-held areas in eastern Aleppo.

Ban noted that since the announcement of the offensive, there have been repeated reports of air-strikes involving the use of incendiary weapons and advance munitions such as bunker buster bombs.

"The Secretary-General underlines that the apparent systematic use of these types of indiscriminate weapons in densely populated areas may amount to war crimes," said the statement.

Ban also called on the international community to "unite to send a clear message that it will not tolerate the use of indiscriminate and ever more deadly and powerful weapons against civilians," according to the statement.

The renewed military showdown in Aleppo came just days after a Russia-U.S. brokered truce expired last Monday with no extension, due to the rising tension between Russia and the United States.

Aleppo has a strategic importance for the warring parties due to its location near the Turkish borders. It is also Syria's largest province and once was the economic hub of the war-torn country. Enditem