United Nations Calls for Immediate Halt to Airstrikes in Syria

On Tuesday, February 6, the United Nations called for an immediate one-month halt to airstrikes in Syria. Reports indicate that at least 55 people have been killed in heavy airstrikes on rebel-controlled areas around Damascus and northwest Syria. Meanwhile, UN war crimes experts stated they are investigating the potential use of chlorine bombs against civilian targets in rebel-held areas in the city of Saraqib in Idlib province and in Douma in Eastern Ghouta near Damascus. According to Reuters, Paulo Pinheiro, head of the UN Commission of Inquiry on Syria, stated that the continued siege of Eastern Ghouta by Syrian government forces constitutes an international crime, including air bombardment and the deliberate starvation of civilians. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain and reporting on the country's civil war, noted that at least 38 people have died in Eastern Ghouta due to bombardment, and at least six in Idlib. UN officials have called for a cessation of hostilities in seven areas, including Afrin, a Kurdish region targeted by Turkey's military offensive, to facilitate humanitarian aid delivery. The Syrian government, with the assistance of Russian airstrikes and Iranian-backed militias, is attempting to seize the last remaining areas under rebel control in the west of the country. UN officials say that in the Eastern Ghouta area, which has not received any humanitarian aid since November, the needs of civilians are increasing. The statement mentions that 'the continuation of fighting and shelling in the areas around Damascus has resulted in many civilian casualties.' It adds, 'Military operations in Idlib have increased civilian casualties, forcing people to move to safer areas. Some have had to relocate multiple times to escape the fighting.' The statement also reminds that two pro-government villages in the Idlib region are still besieged by rebels.