The recent escalation of violence in Syria came "at a time when countless people, many of whom have already endured the trauma of displacement, are now forced to flee once more, leaving behind their homes and livelihoods," UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula said Sunday in a statement.
DAMASCUS, Dec. 2 (Xinhua) -- A surprise offensive launched last week by a coalition of rebel groups in the western countryside of northwestern Syria's Aleppo has stretched deeper into the country still being bruised by a 13-year-long civil war.
As rebel militants are advancing southward after wresting control of most of Aleppo over the weekend, government forces on Sunday launched a counteroffensive in central Syria, reclaiming key areas from the rebels.
The assault, the first significant one since 2016 when rebel groups were driven out of Aleppo, has triggered grave concern over the reopening of a new violent front in the Middle East that has just seen a glimmer of hope for peace with the newly-reached Lebanon truce.
RAPID REBEL ADVANCE
On Wednesday, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) -- an al-Qaida-linked extremist organization -- and allied opposition factions rocked the western countryside of Aleppo in a major rebel offensive aimed at penetrating government-held territories.
By Friday, they had swept into parts of Aleppo for the first time since 2016. Faced with overwhelming militants and multiple attacks, the Syrian army announced a temporary redeployment of its forces.
The rebels on Saturday advanced in Hama province in western-central Syria and took control of multiple towns and villages in the northern part of the province, after capturing key territories in Aleppo and Idlib provinces.
In a significant development, the HTS seized Aleppo International Airport on Saturday, the first civilian airport to fall under HTS control, according to Britain-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
On Sunday, state media and the SOHR reported that the Syrian government forces launched a counter-offensive in the northern countryside of Hama, reclaiming key areas from the rebel groups.
State-run Syrian television reported Sunday that some 1,000 militants from the HTS and affiliated groups were killed over the past three days during the Syrian army's operations.
Meanwhile, the SOHR said that Turkish-backed Syrian opposition forces on Sunday began an offensive on Tel Rifaat, a Kurdish-controlled city in the northern countryside of Aleppo province, and that "there are violent clashes between Kurdish forces and the (opposition) factions."
According to the SOHR, the rebel advance since Wednesday has prompted significant changes in the region, including the withdrawal of Iranian-backed militias and the repositioning of Kurdish units on the northwestern outskirts of Aleppo.
CIVILIANS FALL VICTIM
The SOHR said Sunday that at least 372 people had been killed in Syria, including at least 20 civilians, since the onset of the offensive on Wednesday. The death toll also includes military personnel.
The recent escalation of violence in Syria came "at a time when countless people, many of whom have already endured the trauma of displacement, are now forced to flee once more, leaving behind their homes and livelihoods," UN Resident Coordinator and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria Adam Abdelmoula said Sunday in a statement.
Before the recent influx of more than half a million returnees and refugees from Lebanon, there were more than 16.7 million people in Syria in need of humanitarian assistance, said Abdelmoula.
Due to the latest violence, "even more lives now need to be urgently saved," he said, noting that the heavy fighting has "resulted in the tragic loss of innocent civilian lives, including women and children, damage to civilian infrastructure, and the suspension of critical services."
What Abdelmoula referred to is a dire humanitarian crisis in Syria that resulted from a civil war in the country extending into its 14th year. As the 2025 situation overview published by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) showed, the prolonged war has dragged more people than ever into deeper poverty.
Calling the Syria situation "one of the largest displacement crises in the world," the UN agency overview projected that in 2025, there would be 7.2 million internally displaced people and 6.2 million refugees primarily hosted in the neighboring countries of Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon and Türkiye.
Meanwhile, the UN Children's Fund (UNICEF) said in a recent appeal that children in Syria are facing one of the most complex emergencies in the world.
"Almost 7.5 million children in Syria will need humanitarian assistance in 2024 because of the worsening economic crisis, mass displacement, and devastated public infrastructure," UNICEF said.
Around 90 percent of families in Syria live in poverty, it said. "The collapsing health care system, lack of access to safe water, poor sanitation and increasing food insecurity has resulted not only in increased vulnerability to fast-spreading waterborne and vaccine-preventable diseases, but also sparked a dramatic increase in malnutrition among children."
MOUNTING CALLS FOR DE-ESCALATION
The lightning rebel offensive on Aleppo has dampened the dawning light of broader regional peace following the Israel-Lebanon ceasefire that went into effect early Wednesday, which itself remains fragile amid subsequent sporadic Israeli attacks on southern Lebanon's border areas.
As the world gazes at the developments in Syria, support for Syria's territorial integrity came from both regional countries and those further afield, while the international community called for de-escalation and dialogue among relevant parties to address the crisis.
On Saturday, President of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, said the UAE "stands with the Syrian state and supports it in combating terrorism, extending its sovereignty, unifying its territories, and achieving stability."
Iraqi Prime Minister Mohammed Shia' al-Sudani said Saturday that "Syria's security and stability are closely linked to Iraq's national security," and play a crucial role in regional security and efforts to establish stability in the Middle East.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty also reiterated support for Syrian national institutions and stressed "Syria's vital role in fostering regional stability and combating terrorism."
On Sunday, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian urged Muslim states to help address the problem in Syria, saying regional security could be achieved through efforts of regional states and there is no need for foreign interference. Later in the day, Iranian Foreign Minister Seyed Abbas Araghchi had reportedly departed for a tour in Syria's capital Damascus.
Meanwhile, King Abdullah II of Jordan emphasized Jordan's solidarity with Syria, reaffirming its support for Syria's territorial unity, sovereignty, and stability.
Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan said Ankara is "against any development that would increase instability in the region and we support moves to reduce the tension in Syria."
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has expressed Russia's "decisive" support for Syria's national sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as its government and army in their fight against "terrorist groups."
Russian Defence Ministry said its air force had carried out strikes on Syrian rebels in support of Syria's army.
In Venezuela, President Nicolas Maduro's government on Saturday denounced the rebels as "terrorists" and condemned all attacks against the Syrian state, according to media reports.
U.S. National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett said Saturday that the United States "has nothing to do with this offensive," and is closely monitoring the escalating situation in Syria.
The United States called for immediate de-escalation, protection of civilians and minority groups, and the initiation of a credible political process to end the Syrian civil war, Savett said.
The French Foreign Ministry called on all parties involved in the military developments in Aleppo to "respect international humanitarian law and protect civilian populations," and urged diplomatic efforts at the UN to resolve the conflict.
In a statement on Sunday, the British Foreign Ministry called for negotiations and for relevant parties to "protect civilian lives and infrastructure."■