UN envoy says ‘extremely critical’ to avoid Syria being dragged into war

DAMASCUS: The UN special envoy for Syria said on Sunday that it was “extremely critical” to end the fighting in Lebanon and Gaza to avoid the country being pulled into a regional war.

“We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict,” said Geir Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus.

“We agree that it is extremely critical that we de-escalate so that Syria is not further dragged into this,” he said.

Since Syria’s civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, mainly targeting the army and Iran-backed groups.

The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on targets in Syria since its conflict with Iran-backed Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon escalated into full-scale war in late September after almost a year of cross-border hostilities.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said Israeli strikes on the city of Palmyra earlier in the week killed 105 people, the vast majority of them pro-Iran fighters, in the deadliest such attack on Tehran-backed groups to date.

Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly said it will not allow Iran to expand its presence in the country.