The United Nations Special Envoy to Syria, Geir Pedersen, emphasized the increasingly dangerous situation in Syria due to the escalation of violence in the ongoing Syrian war and the extension of developments involving Israel and the occupied Palestinian territory. In his speech to the UN Security Council on Monday, Pedersen mentioned that the exchange of fire in the occupied Golan Heights, as well as airstrikes attributed to Israel, including attacks on the airports of Aleppo and Damascus, temporarily disrupted the United Nations humanitarian air service.
He also highlighted attacks on US bases by groups claiming to be backed by Iran, and retaliatory strikes by US forces against facilities allegedly used by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. He expressed that the region is currently experiencing its most dangerous state and tension in a long time.
Prior to these recent developments, Syria was already witnessing the worst escalation in violence in over three years, resulting in more civilian casualties and displacement, as well as widespread destruction of civilian infrastructure.
Pedersen pointed out that these events are unfolding at a time when the Syrian people are facing increasingly harsh conditions, including a dire humanitarian situation, difficult economic conditions, reports of arbitrary arrests and torture, and little progress in the detainee, disappeared, and missing persons file.
He concluded by emphasizing the urgent need for genuine engagement and progress towards a political solution in Syria, as the Syrian people and the region cannot bear further violent conflicts, either internally or externally driven. The Special Envoy stressed that treating Syria as an arena for settling scores among different actors with impunity is unacceptable, and he called for de-escalation and calm to prevent a complete collapse of the already tense status quo in Syria.
This article was translated and edited by The Syrian Observer. The Syrian Observer has not verified the content of this story. Responsibility for the information and views set out in this article lies entirely with the author.
