UN Secretary Basic Antonio Guterres requires de-escalation, warns tens of hundreds in Syria are in danger.
Hezbollah’s secretary-general Naim Qassem has pledged the Lebanese group will stand by the Syrian authorities amid an advance by “terrorist teams” attempting to sow chaos within the nation.
“They won’t be able to realize their objectives regardless of what they’ve executed in previous days, and we as Hezbollah can be by Syria’s facet in thwarting the objectives of this aggression as a lot as we are able to,” Qassem stated on Thursday, including that the “aggression” is sponsored by the US and Israel.
His feedback got here hours after Syrian opposition forces captured the strategic metropolis of Homs in central Syria, their newest victory in a lightning offensive that was launched eight days in the past.
Qassem didn’t give particulars of how Hezbollah would help Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, however stated the Iran-aligned group would do what it may.
Hezbollah is presently observing a fragile, US-brokered ceasefire settlement with Israel, after a yr of warfare that has introduced a lot devastation to Lebanon’s south specifically. Lots of the group’s management have been killed in Israeli assaults, whereas tens of hundreds of Lebanese civilians have been pushed from their houses.
‘Area already on hearth’
Civilians have additionally borne the brunt of Syria’s 13-year-long warfare, which had been largely frozen since 2020 till opposition forces led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former al-Qaeda affiliate, launched a brand new offensive from their strongholds in northwest Syria final week.
Over the weekend the rebels captured Aleppo, the nation’s second largest metropolis, earlier than pushing south and getting into Hama on Thursday.
Greater than 280,000 folks have been displaced by the latest preventing, the United Nations World Meals Programme stated in a publish on X.
UN Secretary-Basic Antonio Guterres referred to as for an finish to the preventing and stated the escalating battle in Syria is the results of a “power collective failure” of diplomacy.
Guterres referred to as for fast humanitarian entry to all civilians in want in Syria and a return to a UN-facilitated political course of to finish the bloodshed.
“Tens of hundreds of civilians are in danger in a area already on hearth,” Guterres advised reporters.
“We’re seeing the bitter fruits of a power collective failure of earlier de-escalation preparations to provide a real nationwide ceasefire or a severe political course of to implement Safety Council resolutions,” he stated.
He urged “all these with affect to do their half for the long-suffering folks” of Syria and stated all events are obligated to guard civilians.
Whereas al-Assad relied closely on Russian and Iranian backing all through essentially the most intense years of Syria’s warfare, some opposition teams established ties with Turkiye.
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday referred to as on al-Assad to urgently discover a “political resolution” to the warfare.
“The Syrian regime should commit urgently with its folks in favour of a world political resolution,” Erdogan stated in a name with Guterres, in line with a press release launched by the presidency.
Erdogan, whose nation has develop into residence to about three million Syrian refugees for the reason that warfare began in 2011, has held a number of discussions with different leaders on the disaster in latest days.
“Turkiye has been striving to cut back tensions, shield civilians and open a political course of and can proceed to take action,” Erdogan was quoted as saying within the assertion.
Highlighting that the battle has reached a “new stage”, Erdogan stated, “Turkiye’s largest want is that Syria doesn’t develop into embroiled in larger instability and see much more civilian victims.”
Erdogan was an outspoken critic of al-Assad for a lot of the warfare however has just lately taken a extra conciliatory line.
