UN chief calls for immediate cessation of hostilities in Syria

This photo taken with a cell phone shows smoke rising over the city of Aleppo, Syria, on Dec. 1, 2024. (Str/Xinhua)

The UN chief urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to civilians fleeing hostilities.

UNITED NATIONS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities amid the recent escalation of violence in Syria, his spokesman said on Monday.

Guterres is alarmed by the recent escalation of violence across northwest Syria, Stephane Dujarric, spokesperson for the UN chief, said in a daily press briefing.

The UN secretary-general called for an immediate cessation of hostilities, reminded all parties of their obligations under international law, including humanitarian law, and urged an immediate return to the UN-facilitated political process in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).

Guterres' statement came after Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, a group designated as terrorist group by the Security Council, and its allied opposition factions launched a major rebel offensive last week in northwest Syria's Aleppo and shifted frontlines that had been static since 2020.

According to the UN spokesman, there are reports of civilian casualties, displacement of tens of thousands of people, damage to civilian infrastructure and interruption in essential services and humanitarian aid.

The UN chief urged all parties to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to civilians fleeing hostilities.

Guterres emphasized the urgent need for all parties to seriously engage with his special envoy for Syria to chart a comprehensive path out of conflict in line with Security Council resolution 2254 (2015).

"Syrians have endured conflict for nearly 14 years. They deserve a political horizon that will deliver a peaceful future -- not more bloodshed," he said.