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Latest post: Mon 9 Dec 2024

Insights on the work of the UN Security Council

Syria: Closed Consultations

This afternoon (9 December), Security Council members will convene for closed consultations on Syria. Russia requested the meeting to address the latest developments in Syria and their implications for the UN Disengagement Observer Force (UNDOF). Following this, the UK proposed broadening the scope of the discussion to receive an update on the overall situation in Syria, including developments on the ground and prospects of a political process. Special Envoy for Syria Geir O. Pedersen and Under-Secretary-General for Peace Operations Jean-Pierre Lacroix are the anticipated briefers.

Today’s meeting comes against the backdrop of a rapidly evolving political and security landscape in Syria. On 27 November, rebel forces launched a major offensive that included Security Council-listed terrorist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army, a coalition of armed groups allegedly backed by Türkiye, resulting in the ousting of President Bashar al-Assad. This marked a pivotal shift in Syria’s 13-year civil war. (A ceasefire agreement brokered by Russia and Türkiye in 2020 had largely solidified front lines into zones of control among the warring factions, reflecting a fragile status quo.) The offensive, which began in the northwestern Aleppo governorate, quickly advanced southward towards the capital Damascus with little resistance from the Syrian armed forces. Rebel forces captured key cities along the offensive’s trajectory and, by 5 December, they had secured the strategically important city of Hama, followed by Homs on 7 December. Concurrently, opposition groups in the south launched attacks in the Daraa governorate and As-Suwayda city, creating a multi-front push toward Damascus.

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