The United States, Germany, France and the United Kingdom have called for an immediate de-escalation in Syria. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights yesterday reported at least 412 dead, including 61 civilians, since the start of the offensive by HTS jihadists and the armed opposition in the northwest of the country. According to the NGO, the offensive has claimed the lives of 214 rebels, 137 members of pro-government forces and 61 civilians, including 17 killed today.
“We are closely monitoring developments in Syria and urge de-escalation by all parties and the protection of civilians and infrastructure,” the four NATO nations said in a joint statement released late Sunday. “The current escalation only underscores the urgent need for a political solution to the conflict”, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254. Adopted in 2015, the resolution calls for peace talks between the Syrian government and opposition forces.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken also spoke with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan and “discussed the “need for de-escalation and the protection of civilian lives and infrastructure” in Syria, against the backdrop of rebel attacks on Idlib, Aleppo and Hama in the northwest of the country. According to the State Department announcement, the two also discussed “ongoing humanitarian efforts in Gaza and the need to end the war and secure the release of all hostages.”
Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has meanwhile promised that ”force will be used to eradicate terrorism”, the Sana news agency reported. “
According to Arab media reports, the Syrian president’s palace in Damascus has been occupied by Syrian rebels. The occupation of the palace came after Islamic rebels Hayat Tahrir al-Sham stormed the city of Aleppo on Saturday.
“Terrorism only understands the language of force and that is the language with which we will break it and eliminate it, whoever its supporters and sponsors may be”, Assad was quoted as saying by Sana.
The Russian military said it was helping the Syrian army “repel” rebel forces in three northern provinces, in an attempt to support the government led by Moscow’s ally Bashar al-Assad. “The Syrian Arab Army, with the assistance of Russian air force forces, is continuing its operations to repel the terrorist aggression in the provinces of Idlib, Hama and Aleppo,” the Russian military said on its website.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says Russia has stepped up air strikes against jihadists and the armed opposition to Bashar al-Assad’s regime in areas of Syria where they are advancing. And they explained that on Sunday morning Russian air raids hit the towns and villages conquered.
Similar airstrikes were also recorded in the northern city of Aleppo, captured by rebel forces in a surprise operation against Assad’s military. ”Last night the Russians did not stop bombing on all fronts”, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Abdel-Rahman, told Dpa.
The rebels, he explained, are now in control of Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, with the exception of some Kurdish-held suburbs on the northwestern outskirts.
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