(VOVwrold)- UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon condemned attacks on Wednesday on the two largest hospitals in rebel-held parts of Syria’s Aleppo as “war crimes.”

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon speaks at the United Nations in New York, September 25, 2016. (AFP/Bryan R. Smith)

The two biggest hospitals in rebel-controlled areas have been bombed in what nongovernmental organizations and residents say are deliberate attacks by the Syrian regime and its Russian allies to eliminate these structures. Speaking at the UN Security Council, Ban said international law is clear: medical workers, facilities and transport must be protected. The wounded and sick — civilians and fighters alike — must be spared. He stated that deliberate attacks on hospitals are war crimes and denying people access to essential health care violates international humanitarian law saying there must be action and accountability.