Tensions in Syria, Region ‘Have Reached Dangerous New Levels’, Special Envoy Warns Security Council, Calling for Inclusive Political Process
Violence this last month in Syria and the surrounding region has not only taken a toll on civilians but has also presented new threats to international peace and security, United Nations officials warned the Security Council today as they expressed deep concern about the ongoing tense situation across many fronts in that country.
“Tensions in the region have reached dangerous new levels with a series of incidents,” Geir Pedersen, Special Envoy of the Secretary-General for Syria, told the 15-member organ via video-link. He expressed alarm over the attacks on a soccer field in the village of Majdal Shams in the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan, which resulted in civilian casualties, including children; Israeli strikes in Beirut; the targeted killings of leaders of Hamas in Tehran, and then Hizbullah in Beirut by Israel; and the significant escalation of hostilities witnessed last week which saw Hizbullah strikes in Israel and Israeli strikes in Lebanon.
Air strikes in Homs, Hama, Deraa and then on the Syria-Lebanon border by Israel are also of dire concern, he went on to say. July and August saw attacks on United States military positions in north-east Syria after a months-long lull. There have also been reports of rocket and drone strikes from Syrian territory towards the Israeli-occupied Syrian Golan. In August, there were again multiple clashes, air and drone strikes, exchanges of artillery and rocket fire, across north-east and north-west Syria — including a brief uptick in pro-Government drone strikes on Idlib, and a spike in hostilities involving the Syrian Democratic Forces and armed opposition forces. A significant escalation in hostilities took place between the Syrian Democratic Forces and some Arab tribal forces in Deir ez-Zor, with reports of dozens of deaths and injuries, displacements and strikes on civilian infrastructure. Parts of Syria remain turbulent, with multiple security incidents in Deraa and further tensions in Sweida.
Meanwhile, ISIL/Da’esh has increased its operational pace in Syria, with a surge of attacks, especially in the central desert area, he said, calling for an immediate and sustained de-escalation of hostilities, a nationwide ceasefire and a cooperative approach to countering Security Council-listed terrorist groups. The file of the detained and missing still demands urgent action, with arbitrary detention and arrest, torture in detention and disappearances continuing in all areas of Syria. “Such repressive practices must stop,” he stressed, calling for releases with priority on women and children and people who are old or sick.
On the humanitarian front, he welcomed the Government of Syria’s decision to extend authorization for the use of Bab al-Salam and al-Ra’ee border crossings. Unimpeded aid access through all modalities is needed, both cross-border and cross-line. Syrians are struggling to put food on the table and the World Food Programme (WFP) warns that the minimum wage in Syria only covers 11 per cent of a household’s basic needs. The problems Syria faces cannot be addressed without a political process that realizes the legitimate aspirations of the Syrian people and that restores the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the country. “We have no illusion that any of this will be easy,” he said, also adding: “But it would be a mistake to conclude that it is impossible.”
Joyce Msuya, Assistant Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator, warned that the recent escalation of hostilities in the north-east, along with regular attacks in the north-west and other places, continue to deepen people’s suffering. Since 6 August, at least 25 civilians have been killed because of the fighting in Deir ez-Zor. An estimated 3,500 families were forced to flee their homes, although the majority have since been able to return.
Critical public infrastructure has been affected, including water treatment facilities, adding to the ongoing water crisis. And the fighting has restricted the movement of civilians and aid workers, including through the closure of the Euphrates River crossings. Access to parts of Hasakeh and Qamishli cities was restricted for nearly a week, disrupting water and food assistance to more than 100,000 people.
“Displacement persists at staggeringly high levels,” she said. More than 6 million Syrians continue to live as refugees or asylum-seekers outside Syria’s borders. Within Syria, some 7.2 million people are displaced, most of them for over a decade. Women and girls are particularly affected. Many of the displaced live in tents or overcrowded informal settlements and have been forced to move multiple times. Nine months into 2024, less than $1 billion of the $4.1 billion required for the humanitarian response has been received.
WFP reports that many families are eating smaller portions, skipping meals and have a less diverse diet, putting them at risk of malnutrition. Without an increase in funding, nearly 200 camps in the north-west will be cut off from water and sanitation support by September, affecting nearly 250,000 camp residents — most of them women and children. And by the end of 2024, some 230 health facilities — half of the functional health facilities in the north-west, including maternal and children’s hospitals — are heading towards full or partial closure, affecting access to lifesaving and emergency health care for over a million people.
In the ensuing discussion, many Council members stressed the need for Syria to find a long-standing political solution in line with Security Council resolutions and find a pathway out of the over decade-long conflict. Other speakers underscored the role that unilateral coercive measures play in stifling development and growth for that country. Still, most Council speakers underscored the need for progress to be made towards peace and providing the Syrian people much needed humanitarian aid and a chance at a brighter future.
The representative of the United States expressed concern that more than two years had passed since the last meeting of the Constitutional Committee. The Syrian regime shows little interest in engaging meaningfully in the political process called for in Council resolution 2254 (2015). “US sanctions will remain in place until, at a minimum, there is concrete, measurable progress towards a political solution in line with resolution 2254 (2015),” he added. The United States reminded its partners in the region that normalization with the Syrian regime will not bring about an end to or a decrease in Captagon production. The international community must continue efforts to reduce Captagon production and trade emanating from Syria. He further echoed United States President Joseph R. Biden’s call for the immediate release of American journalist Austin Tice, who is being detained in Syria.
The representative of the Russian Federation said that Syria is directly suffering from more than 10 months of confrontation stemming from the Palestinian-Israeli conflict and the arbitrary strikes of the Israeli Air Force in violation of provisions of international law, both on Syria and on the territories of neighbouring countries. “Almost every week, Israeli aviation carries out strikes on Damascus and the suburbs and also on other Syrian provinces,” he said. While this is a grave violation of sovereignty of Syria and the provisions of the Charter of the United Nations, Western members of the Council remain “indifferent”. A political solution in Syria must be led and owned by Syrians themselves without external pressure or interference. The “Western sanctions hammer” is undermining the socioeconomic development of Syria.
China’s delegate urged Israel to cease its attacks on Syria and foreign forces to end their illegal military presence in Syria. A stable political process in Syria cannot be achieved without a favourable security environment. China supports the Syrian Government’s intensified counter-terrorism efforts and calls on the international community to join forces in line with international law and Security Council resolutions to combat terrorist forces within Syria. He urged the parties to demonstrate flexibility and make efforts to resume cross-line relief operations. Unilateral sanctions and the illegal plundering of resources have seriously weakened Syria’s ability to recover economically and to develop socially, and therefore must be stopped immediately.
“The suffering endured by Syrians continues to escalate,” said Guyana’s delegate, also speaking on behalf of Mozambique, Sierra Leone and Algeria. Noting that there is but “a faint glimmer of hope that conditions will improve” and displaced Syrians will soon be able to return to their homes, she urged all parties to bring an end to the crisis that has afflicted the country for over 13 years.
Underscoring the need to respect Syria’s sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity, she expressed concern over the fighting in the Deir ez-Zor Governorate that resulted in the loss of 25 civilian lives and injury to 28 persons. “It is in no one’s interest […] for Syria to experience a resurgence of violence, especially at a time when the looming threat of a regional war is imminent and the real risk of terrorism re-emerging,” she stated.
Painting a grim picture of the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria — compounded by the unilateral sanctions imposed on the country — she said 70 per cent of Syrians need assistance, with women and children being the most impacted. However, funding for the humanitarian response plan is at its lowest level — 24 per cent — she observed, urging donors to honour their commitments. Also, she emphasized, all measures should be taken to allow the Syrian economy to recover, improve the livelihood of Syrians and facilitate the safe, voluntary and dignified return of Syrian refugees and internally displaced persons.
“The time has come to relaunch dialogue and peace negotiations under the aegis of the UN,” said her counterpart from Switzerland, noting that a political solution remains “the only possible way out of the conflict”. Reiterating his country’s commitment to shedding light on the fate of those detained and disappeared, he highlighted its contribution to the creation of the Geneva-based Independent Institution for Missing Persons in Syria, with its eminently humanitarian mandate. Calling on all parties concerned to collaborate with this Institution, he underscored that “providing answers to those who have been waiting for so long means working towards reconciliation and lasting peace”.
“All parties must engage in good faith as the Independent Institution on Missing Persons is established to clarify the fate of the missing,” echoed the representative of the United Kingdom, recalling that forcibly disappeared persons account for around 5 per cent of the total Syrian population. Relatedly, he recalled that a decade has passed since Da’esh began committing genocide against the Yazidis, highlighting the plight of missing Yazidi women and the families that have been torn apart by these horrendous acts.
Syria’s representative reiterated his delegation’s condemnation of Israel’s speaker raising pictures of Syrian children who were murdered and claiming they were Syrian Israeli children. All the people in the Golan reject the Israeli occupation and look forward to ending it, he added. What exacerbates the risks in the region is the fact that some Western countries, including the United States, are amassing fleets and armies to support the criminal Israel occupation entity, to persist in its crimes, massacres and attacks.
Damascus continues to take steps to help the humanitarian situation and provide basic services to Syrians, he continued. However, some Western countries withhold the funding of humanitarian action and link it to political conditions to serve their interests at the expense of the security and stability and livelihood of the Syrian people. His country reiterates its commitment to a Syrian-led and owned political process without any external interference and in full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria. Syria reiterates that there are no legal grounds for the presence of United States forces in Syria illegally without the consent of Damascus. “Such presence is in fact what obstructs the efforts of the Syrian Government to fight and combat terrorism,” he said.
Iran’s delegate also opposed the politicization of humanitarian aid and the obstruction of international support for Syria’s reconstruction, primarily driven by the United States and its Western allies. Additionally, Washington, D.C., continues to use inhumane unilateral sanctions as a tool for the collective punishment of the Syrian population, he observed, adding: “They must be lifted, both as a legal obligation and a moral imperative.” Similarly, providing impartial and non-politicized humanitarian aid to all regions of Syria is crucial to save lives. To this end, early recovery projects should be prioritized while facilitating Syria’s reconstruction and ensuring the safe return of refugees and internally displaced persons is paramount.
He further strongly condemned Israel’s ongoing aggression against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Syria, targeting civilian population and infrastructure, as well as its continued occupation of the Syrian Golan. With “ironclad” support from Washington, D.C., and political support from London, Israel continues its daily atrocities and systematic war crimes against the people of Palestine in Gaza and the West Bank, while violating Lebanon’s sovereignty and territorial integrity. He also urged the United States to end the illegal presence of their forces, halt their exploitation of Syrian resources and stop their support for terrorist groups and militias. The recent attacks and violence committed by United States-backed militias and terrorist groups against innocent civilians in Deirez-Zor, Al-Hasakah are alarming, he said, noting that Iran — alongside the Russian Federation and Türkiye — is dedicated to achieving “long-term normalization in Syria”.
The speaker for Türkiye said that the crisis in Syria could have been avoided if its root causes had been addressed in a timely manner. Nonetheless, the crisis has not been resolved, and the region has been plunged into turmoil. The gravity of the situation in the Middle East should be a wake-up call, exposing the urgent need for a durable settlement of the Syrian conflict. “Inside and outside Syria, more actors must face this reality and avoid treating the Syrian crisis as a frozen or a post-conflict situation,” he stated, adding that the only permanent solution is “Syria governed by the will of all Syrians”, with its territorial integrity and unity preserved. A durable settlement is not possible unless all actors put forward a shared vision focused on revitalizing the political process, creating conducive conditions for the safe and voluntary return of Syrians, combating separatist terrorism and providing uninterrupted delivery of humanitarian aid to those in need in Syria.