The German Foreign Ministry has called on all parties in Syria to adhere to international humanitarian law following the revival of fighting, saying the civilian population and infrastructure must be protected.
Germany is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation in the northwest of the country, according to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry in Berlin on Sunday: “We underline the need for a political solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.”
Fighting in Syria, which has been in the grip of a civil war since 2011, recently flared up violently for the first time in years.
An offensive launched on Wednesday by an alliance of rebel groups led by Islamist extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) apparently came as a surprise to President Bashar al-Assad’s government.
On Sunday, the Syrian government lost control of the city of Aleppo, the country’s second largest, as opposition forces made further territorial gains, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Sunday.
HTS is considered one of the most powerful armed militias in northwest Syria.
The opposition attack is considered by the rebels to be the biggest since 2016, when they were driven from the eastern parts of the city.
The fighting has displaced thousands of local residents, the war monitoring group said.
Syrian regime armored vehicle seen on the M5 international highway after the Syrian armed opposition took control of the road in Idlib. Anas Alkharboutli/dpa
