UN chief 'alarmed' by Syria violence, calls for end to fighting

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said on Monday he was "alarmed" by the escalation of violence in Syria and called for an immediate end to fighting that his organization says has displaced nearly 50,000 people.

"All parties must do their utmost to protect civilians and civilian objects, including by allowing safe passage to civilians who are fleeing hostilities," Guterres's spokesman Stephane Dujarric said in a statement.

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

Syria has been at war since President Bashar al-Assad cracked down on pro-democracy protests in 2011, with subsequent fighting that has involved foreign powers and jihadists leaving an estimated half a million people dead.

The conflict had been mostly dormant, with Assad back in control of much of the country until last week, when a rebel alliance led by Islamist armed groups began its offensive.

Syria's military and its ally Russia have responded with deadly air raids on areas under rebel control.

The fighting has killed more than 457 people, including at least 72 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

As of November 30, more than 48,500 people had been displaced in Idlib and northern Aleppo, more than half of them children, the UN's humanitarian agency OCHA said on Monday, adding that the situation was highly fluid.

"Tens of thousands of people on the move; critical services interrupted; women, men and children fearing for safety," OCHA chief Tom Fletcher said on X, describing the situation as "worrying."

"Syrians have already endured over 13 years of suffering. All sides must do more to protect civilians."

The number of displaced was a steep increase from the 14,000 people reported on 28 November.

And according to Dujarric, UN peacekeeping operations in the country have been "largely suspended" across Aleppo, Idlib and Hama due to security concerns.

"This has led to severe disruption in people's ability to access life-saving assistance," he said, adding that the United Nations remained committed to delivering humanitarian aid.

Dujarric warned that "the presence of unburied bodies and lack of drinking water" in Syria threatens public health and said that damage to Aleppo's university hospital had left hundreds of patients without care.

"Syria is also already one of the world's largest humanitarian crises, with 16.7 million human beings in need of assistance and over seven million people internally displaced," he said.

Israel's stepped-up offensive against Hezbollah in neighboring Lebanon since September had also had an effect on the situation, he said.

"More than half a million people have also fled from Lebanon to Syria in recent weeks, and winter conditions will only make the needs in the coming weeks even more acute."

US urges de-escalation

The United States called Monday for de-escalation in Syria, where an Islamist-led rebel alliance has wrested swathes of territory from the control of President Bashar al-Assad's government in a lightning offensive.

The European Union also called on "all sides to de-escalate", while UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres said he was "alarmed" by the violence and called for an immediate halt to the fighting.

Syria has been at war since Assad cracked down on democracy protests in 2011. The conflict has since drawn in foreign powers and jihadists, and left 500,000 people dead.

The war had been mostly dormant with Assad back in control of much of the country, until last week when the Islamist-led rebel alliance began its offensive.

The attack has seen swathes of Syria fall to rebel control, including second city Aleppo for the first time since the start of the civil war.

Nearly 50,000 people have also been freshly displaced as of the end of November, the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs reported Monday.

Speaking to reporters, US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller said: "We want to see all countries use their influence -- use their leverage -- to push for de-escalation, protection of civilians and ultimately, a political process forward."

In a statement issued by EU foreign affairs spokesman Anouar El Anouni, the European Union also called for de-escalation and the protection of civilians, while also condemning Assad backer Russia for conducting air strikes in his support.

Russia first intervened directly in Syria's war in 2015 with strikes on rebel-held areas.

Its help, along with that of Iran and Lebanese militant group Hezbollah, was instrumental in propping up Assad's rule.

On Monday, President Vladimir Putin and Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian pledged "unconditional support" for their ally, according to the Kremlin.

- Panic in Aleppo -

Aleppo is home to two million people and saw fierce fighting earlier in the war.

The Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and its allies took the city over the weekend, except for neighbourhoods controlled by Kurdish forces, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

They also seized Aleppo International Airport.

HTS, led by Al-Qaeda's former Syria branch, has faced accusations of human rights abuses including torturing detainees.

Abu Sufyan, a rebel commander, told AFP: "God willing, we will continue, go into Damascus and liberate the rest of Syria."

One Aleppo resident spoke of panic.

"There were terrible traffic jams -- it took people 13 to 15 hours to reach Homs" in central Syria, which is under government control. Normally, he said, it would take a couple of hours.

AFPTV footage showed rebels patrolling the streets, some burning a Syrian flag and others holding the flag of the revolution.

On Monday, Assad branded the rebel offensive led by HTS an attempt to redraw the regional map in line with US interests.

His comments came in a call with Iran's Pezeshkian, who in turn pledged continued support and said Iran hoped "Syria will pass through this stage with success and victory".

- Deadly attacks -

On Monday, Syrian and Russian air raids on several areas of Idlib province in the northwest killed 11 civilians including five children, the Observatory said.

"The strikes targeted... families living on the edge of a displacement camp," said Hussein Ahmed Khudur, a 45-year-old teacher who sought refuge at the camp from fighting in Aleppo province.

Other strikes in Aleppo killed four civilians, two of them children, the Observatory said, adding that air raids also targeted a Christian-majority neighbourhood.

AFPTV footage showed rebels pushing into Hama province in central Syria.

Syria's defence ministry said troops were clashing with "terrorist organisations" in the northern Hama countryside.

Islamist-led rebels killed six civilians on Monday in a rocket attack on the government-held city of Hama, the Observatory said.

- 'Instability' -

Aron Lund of the Century International think tank said a major question hangs over possible Turkish involvement.

"I have a hard time imagining that Turkey-backed groups could launch a major rebel offensive out of Turkey-held areas without Turkey being very significantly involved," he said.

"But I also don't think Turkey necessarily wanted the rebels to get this far."

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan called for an end to the "instability" in Syria and an agreement to stop the civil war.

On a visit to Ankara, Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said it was crucial "to protect the achievements" of the so-called Astana process to end Syria's civil war, which involves Turkey, Russia and Iran.

Several hours later, he said the respective foreign ministers would meet on the matter next weekend in Qatar.

"We will try to activate this process again," he said.

- 'Limited utility' -

Millions of Syrians have been displaced, with about 5.5 million now in neighbouring countries.

Most of those involved in the initial anti-Assad protests are either dead, in jail or exile.

Russia is at war in Ukraine, and Iran's militant allies Hezbollah and Hamas have been massively weakened by more than a year of conflict with Israel.

Lebanon's Hezbollah played a key role in backing government forces, particularly around Aleppo, but withdrew from several positions to focus on fighting Israel.

HTS and its allies launched their offensive on Wednesday, the day a Lebanon ceasefire began.

The violence in Syria has killed 514 people, mostly combatants but also including 92 civilians, according to the Observatory.