UNSG urges calm amid renewed violence in northern, southern Syria

NEW YORK - UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has expressed deep concern over the escalating intercommunal violence in Syria’s southern Suwayda province and new clashes between Kurdish forces and Damascus-aligned groups in northern Syria, his spokesperson said Monday.

In response to a question from Rudaw about the security developments in Syria, Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for the UNSG said Guterres is “concerned over reports of clashes in Suwayda” and “the worrisome reports of fighting in the north of Syria.”

The remarks came hours after the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) - the de facto army of northeast Syria (Rojava) - on Monday accused factions affiliated with Damascus of launching “an attack on four of our positions” in Syria’s northern Aleppo province, holding Damascus “fully responsible” for the assault.

A day earlier, the SDF and Damascus exchanged blame for a previous attack in northern Syria’s Manbij city, which reportedly injured four Syrian government troops and three civilians.

On Sunday as well, two people were killed in deadly clashes that erupted again in Syria’s southern Suwayda province after more than two weeks of a fragile ceasefire.

The violence first broke out on July 13 between Druze fighters and Bedouin tribes in Suwayda. It quickly escalated with the involvement of Syrian government forces and Israeli airstrikes in support of the Druze before a US-brokered ceasefire was declared on July 18.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that the violence has left nearly 1,400 people dead, while the UN added that approximately 175,000 have been displaced as a result.

Haq quoted the UNSG as urging “all parties to immediately stop the violence and restore calm,” reminding them “of their obligations to protect civilians.” He further underlined that “it is imperative to support a credible, orderly and inclusive political transition in Syria.”