Two hospitals bombed in eastern Aleppo, Syria

ALEPPO, Syria, Sept. 28 (UPI) -- A Syrian aerial offensive struck the two largest hospitals in the besieged, rebel-held eastern part of the city of Aleppo on Wednesday.

The early morning assault by the Syrian military bombed the two hospitals, codenamed M2 and M10 by doctors, out of service. Aleppo now has 30 remaining doctors and six hospitals, only three of which have trauma centers. The chief of M10 said generators, water storage facilities and the hospital's intensive care unit sustained major damage. The medical charity SAMS said two people were killed and three injured in the strike on M2. Both hospitals sustained major structural damage.

The World Health Organization called for "the immediate establishment of humanitarian routes" Tuesday to evacuate Aleppo's wounded civilians, adding hospitals are overflowing and lack supplies. The city has been bombarded for the past week, as Syrian air and ground troops attempt to capture the eastern part of the city, a rebel stronghold since 2012 and under siege for three months.

A week-long ceasefire, brokered by Washington and Moscow, collapsed last week, and Syrian troops, supported by Russia, began an intensive assault on eastern Aleppo. A victory by the Syrian government would give it control over the country's largest cities, with the rebellion reduced to a rural insurgency.