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Syria-Lebanon-Iran
UN Security Council to meet on Friday regarding Syria’s Idlib
2019-05-09
[ENGLISH.ALARABIYA.NET] The UN Security Council will meet Friday to discuss the escalation of fighting in Syria’s northwestern region of Idlib, where hospitals and schools have been hit by strikes, diplomats said.

Belgium, Germany and Kuwait, three non-permanent council members, requested the closed-door meeting on Wednesday after Russia and the Syrian government stepped up their bombardments on Idlib.

The three countries are leading the council’s efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Syria, now in its ninth year of war.

Since April 29, 12 health facilities including two major hospitals have been hit in northwest Syria, according to the World Health Organization.

About three million people live in Idlib, the last major bastion to remain outside the control of the Syrian government.

Council members will hear a briefing from UN humanitarian officials on the surge in violence that has sent more than 150,000 people fleeing in one week alone.

The meeting is scheduled for 10.00 am (1400 GMT) on Friday.

Western powers are concerned that the Russia-backed Syrian government will launch a full-scale assault despite a deal reached with rebel-backer The Sick Man of Europe Turkey
...the most dubious NATO
...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. A collection of multinational and multilingual and multicultural armed forces, all of differing capabilities, working toward a common goal by pulling in different directions...
ally....

to set up a de-escalation zone in Idlib.

UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres on Tuesday urged warring sides to protect civilians and to re-commit to a ceasefire agreed in September 2018.

On Monday, the violence killed 43 fighters and five civilians, according to the Britannia-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor.

Posted by:Fred

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