From the Liveblog of
Wednesday, February 5, 2020
UN to hold emergency session after Syria, Turkey clashes
UNITED NATIONS — The UN Security Council will meet tomorrow for an emergency session on Syria following clashes between the Turkish and Syrian military, diplomats say.
They say the meeting, which will be open to the public, was requested by the United States, France and Britain.
The UN envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, is expected to report on the situation in Idlib, the northwestern Syrian province where the two armies clashed on Monday, the diplomats say.
More than 20 people were killed in the exchanges of fire, threatening to further destabilize the Idlib region, already suffering a humanitarian crisis.
An offensive by the Damascus regime, backed by Russian air power, against the last stronghold of jihadist and rebel opponents has drawn strong warnings from Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
“If the regime does not pull back, Turkey will be obliged to take matters into its own hands,” Erdogan said today in Ankara.
Yesterday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called for a “cessation of hostilities” between Turkey and Syria, calling the fighting an “extremely worrying” escalation.
— AFP
The Times of Israel Community.