Israel-Hamas war spills into Syria deepening instability – UN official
QAMISHLI, Syria (North Press) – United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Monday the war between Israel and Hamas is spilling over into Syria worsening the already unstable situation.
Pedersen, in a briefing to the Security Council, warned that the Syrian people face ” a terrifying prospect of a potential wider escalation,” as the recent escalation between Israel and Hamas has added to the violence in the Syrian conflict.
“Spillover into Syria is not just a risk; it has already begun,” he warned.
The UN official pointed out that airstrikes attributed to Israel hit the Aleppo and Damascus international airports several times hindering the delivery of humanitarian aid, in addition to retaliatory attacks by the US against several attacks on its forces and bases in Syria “by groups that it claims are backed by Iran.”
Pederson added, “Fuel is being added to a tinderbox that was already beginning to ignite” in Syria with the region “at its most dangerous and tense in a very long time.”
“It is particularly indefensible that Syria seems to be treated as a free-for-all space, in which different actors can settle their scores with one other, with impunity,” he added.
He called on all actors to cease hostilities and abide by the international law in the region that is already at a breaking point. He stressed, “We must de-escalate — and de-escalate now — for the sake of Syria.”
Meanwhile in the same session, Edem Wosornu, OCHA Director of Operations and Advocacy, highlighted the deteriorating humanitarian situation and the major increase in hostilities in October in several areas across northern Syria.
She noted, speaking on behalf of Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths, that the recent Turkish attacks against vital infrastructure in northeast Syria impacted critical services such as water, power and the availability of fuel necessary for heating as winter nears.
Wosornu said, “These disruptions to already precarious electricity, water and fuel supplies continue to make life extremely challenging for a vulnerable population and place a heightened demand on overstretched humanitarian services.”
She urged “all parties across Syria to respect their obligations under international law. Parties must take constant care to spare civilians and civilian objects – including essential infrastructure – in accordance with international humanitarian law.”