Drone and Satellite Images Show Aleppo in Ruins as Russia Calls on Rebels to Evacuate

— -- International human rights group Amnesty International released dramatic drone footage and satellite imagery showing whole areas of the besieged Syrian city of Aleppo in ruins, in a plea to the United Nations and the international community to put a stop to the "bloodshed and destruction," it says is being wrought on the civilian population there.

“The world’s inaction in the face of the continuing carnage and blatant violations in Aleppo city must end," said Lynn Maalouf, Deputy Director for Research at Amnesty International’s Beirut regional office. "Syrian government forces, with the support of Russia, have launched relentless attacks that have flagrantly disregarded fundamental rules of international humanitarian law."

Calling the Russian and Syrian governments' self-imposed humanitarian pause in the bombings "woefully inadequate," Amnesty called for "impartial humanitarian relief and an end to unlawful attacks." Russia has said the rebel groups and civilians should evacuate the besieged area. The rebel groups have rebuked Russia's call to leave, saying it amounts to surrender.

The group released drone footage showing craters and large areas of the densely-populated city that have been leveled. At least 600 airstrikes targeted the city in the span of just three weeks after the collapse of the U.S.-Russia backed ceasefire on September 19, Amnesty said, resulting in at least 400 civilian deaths.

Some 90 separate locations were damaged or destroyed over a one-week period in an area roughly the size of Manhattan, New York City, the group said, adding that it documented a series of attacks that appear to have purposefully struck civilian targets such as residential homes, medical facilities, schools, markets and mosques.

Since September 21, 14 medical facilities have been hit by airstrikes, putting many of them out of service, according to the Syrian American Medical Society.

“I arrived at al-Sakhour hospital three hours after the attack had happened," a witness to one of the strikes told Amnesty. "The closest front line is around 300 meters away.”

In some instances, Amnesty says, internationally-banned Russian-made cluster munitions were used in attacks.

“Syrian government forces claim to be attacking non-state armed groups but the real objective is clear: to inflict severe suffering on the civilian population in order to drive them out," Maalouf added.

Amnesty says that some 70 countries will call for a "clear message" to be sent in a meeting today to the United Nations Security Council, urging it to do everything in its power to "bring an end to the cycle of war crimes in Syria."