Fighting was continuing across north-western Syria on Monday hours after France joined its western allies Germany, Britain and the United States in a plea to de-escalate a surge of violence during which rebel groups have taken control of key cities.
“We call on all parties to de-escalate and protect civilians and infrastructure to avoid further displacement and disruption to the delivery of humanitarian aid,” the statement said.
"The current escalation only underscores the urgent need for a Syrian-led political solution to the conflict," in line with UN Security Council Resolution 2254, the statement added.
An alliance of Syrian rebel factions led by the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of Aleppo over the weekend. Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a counter offensive with the help of his allies Russia and Iran.
On Sunday, government troops created a defensive line in northern Hama as they attempted to stall the insurgents’ momentum, according to Britain-based opposition war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Meanwhile, jets pounded the cities of Idlib and Aleppo, killing at least 25 people, according to the Syrian civil defence group that operates in opposition-held areas.
Security risk
The United Nations special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, said the push by the rebels poses a risk to regional security and called for a resumption of diplomatic efforts to end the conflict.
US national security adviser Jake Sullivan told CNN’s State of the Union programme that the US was watching the situation carefully.
HTS, he said, has been designated a terrorist organisation. "We have real concerns about the designs and objectives of that organisation,” he added.
“At the same time, of course, we don’t cry over the fact that the Assad government, backed by Russia, Iran and Hezbollah, are facing certain kinds of pressure.”
According to Syrian state news agency SANA and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the army has pushed back insurgents in the northern countryside of Hama province.
Sham FM said the Syrian army had shot down drones belonging to HTS in northern Hama while Syrian state television claimed government forces had killed nearly 1,000 insurgents over the past three days, without providing evidence or details.
The 2016 battle for Aleppo was a turning point in the war between Syrian government forces and rebel fighters after protests in 2011 against Assad’s rule turned into an all-out war.
After appearing to be losing control of the country to the rebels, the Aleppo battle secured Assad’s hold on strategic areas of Syria, with opposition factions and their foreign backers controlling areas on the periphery.
