UN alarmed by civilian suffering in Syria

UN officials expressed alarm on Wednesday at the worsening humanitarian situation in Syria.

Hundreds of thousands of Syrian civilians have fled renewed fighting between government forces and rebels in recent days.

"We are alarmed by the rapid deterioration of the humanitarian situation in northwest Syria and the tragic suffering of civilians," Geir Pedersen, the UN Special Envoy for Syria briefed the Security Council on Wednesday.

Pedersen said nearly 900,000 civilians have been displaced since 1 December 2019.

The UN's humanitarian affairs chief, Mark Lowcock, called on the warring parties to protect the displaced.

Backed by heavy Russian airstrikes, Syrian government forces have for weeks been conducting a crushing military campaign to recapture the Aleppo countryside and parts of neighbouring Idlib province in northwestern Syria, the last rebel-held areas in the country.