AA / New York / Serife Cetin
UN Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed concern about the escalation of conflicts in northwest Syria and urged the parties to immediately end hostilities, his spokesperson said Monday.
Stéphane Dujarric spoke out regarding Guterres’ comments regarding developments in Syria.
“The Secretary-General is indeed concerned by the recent escalation of violence in northwest Syria. He calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities and reminds all parties of their obligations under international law, including international law humanitarian,” he said.
He also said Guterres called for an urgent return to the political process, in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, which represents a road map for peace.
Dujarric said attacks carried out by “Hay’et Tahrir al-Sham” (HTS), a group sanctioned by the United Nations Security Council, as well as some “armed opposition groups”, led to changes in borders which had remained stable since 2020.
He also highlighted that reports are coming from the area of civilian casualties, forced displacement and damage to civilian infrastructure.
“Syrians have endured this conflict for nearly 14 years. They deserve a political perspective that promises a peaceful future, not more violence,” he added.
Finally, he reiterated Guterres’ call for all parties to end the violence and maintain communication with the UN Secretary-General’s special envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen.
Clashes erupted on November 27 between Assad regime forces and armed groups opposed to the regime in the western countryside of Aleppo in northern Syria, marking a new escalation of fighting after a period of relative calm in the conflict .
As opposition forces launched their offensive on Aleppo, Syrian regime forces lost control of significant territories in a short time. This prompted the Syrian regime to seek support from the PKK/YPG terrorist organization against opposition forces, paving the way for the terrorist group to gain ground.
The Syrian regime began ceding territories it controlled to PKK/YPG forces located east of the Euphrates. As a result, a large number of PKK/YPG terrorists and heavy weapons were transported from the east bank of the Euphrates to Aleppo.
The PKK/YPG terrorist group saw this cession of territory by the Syrian regime as an opportunity and attempted to establish a terrorist corridor between Tall Rifaat and northeastern Syria. The Syrian National Army (SNA), however, thwarted this plan.
Noticing the maneuvers of the terrorist organization as opposition groups advance towards Aleppo, the Syrian National Army launched Operation “Dawn of Freedom” and quickly took action on the ground.
The SNA disrupted PKK/YPG efforts to establish a terrorist corridor by cutting the road between Raqqa and Aleppo, thereby blocking the connection between Tall Rifaat and northeast Syria.
*translated from Turkish by Ayse Betul Akcesme
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