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UN official warns Syria under pressure during Israel’s wars
Syria is teetering on the brink of a “military, humanitarian and economic storm”, a top UN official says, warning of escalating violence within the country and spillover from fighting in neighbouring Gaza and Lebanon.
“The fires of conflict are raging in the occupied Palestinian territory, including Gaza, and in Lebanon,” Geir Pedersen, special envoy for Syria, told the UN Security Council. “And the heat is being felt in Syria, too.”
He warned the “regional spillover into Syria is alarming and could get much worse”. While Israel has for years struck Hezbollah positions in Syria, it has increased its air raids as its conflict in Lebanon expands.
“The past month has seen the fastest-paced and broadest-ranging campaign of Israeli air strikes in the last 13 years, even in the heart of Damascus,” said Pedersen.
China’s Xi pledges to boost Iran ties in talks with Pezeshkian
China’s President Xi Jinping pledged to increase ties with Iran during talks with his counterpart Masoud Pezeshkian in Russia, state news agency Xinhua reports.
Xi pledged that “no matter how the international and regional situation changes, China will unswervingly develop friendly cooperation with Iran”.
The promise of continued support comes as Middle East tensions soar over Israel’s ongoing wars on Gaza and Lebanon, and as the world awaits an Israeli response to Iran’s latest missile attack.
At a BRICS plenary session on Wednesday, Pezeshkian urged members of the grouping to “use all their collective and individual capacities to end the war in Gaza and Lebanon”.
Xi, meanwhile, repeated his call for a ceasefire, saying: “We need to … stop the killing and work tirelessly for a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the Palestinian issue.”
