UNSC to hold meeting amid fresh violence in Syria’s Aleppo

The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is set to discuss the escalation of fighting in the divided northwestern Syrian city of Aleppo.

The emergency meeting, requested by the US, Britain and France, is scheduled to be held at 11:00 New York time on Sunday.

The request came after the foreign-backed militants operating in Aleppo suffered a series of losses on the battlefield against army forces.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said that he was “appalled by the chilling military escalation” in Aleppo, warning that the use of advanced weaponry in the embattled city could amount to war crimes.

The world body says two million civilians have been left without water in Aleppo after bombardments damaged a pumping station and militants shut down another facility.

“Intense attacks last night have damaged the Bab al-Nayrab water pumping station, which supplies water to some 250,000 people in the eastern parts of Aleppo,” the UN children’s agency UNICEF said, adding, “Violence is preventing repair teams from reaching the station.”

Aleppo, Syria’s second largest city, has been divided since 2012 between government forces in the west and foreign-backed terrorists in the east, making it a frontline battleground.

A week-long truce, brokered by Russia and the US, came to an end across Syria on September 19.

Damascus refused to extend the deal after its military base was hit by US-led airstrikes near the eastern city Dayr al-Zawr in violation of the agreement.

The air raids, which left more than 80 Syrian troops dead and some 100 others wounded, paved the way for the Takfiri terrorists to make some gains in the area.

Following the truce, Syria announced the start of a new military operation in Aleppo aimed at driving out the foreign-backed terrorists occupying the eastern flanks of the strategic city.

Efforts to revive the cessation of hostilities in the Middle Eastern country have failed so far.

EA