U.N. forced to halt planned humanitarian work under Syria ceasefire deal
The United Nations has been forced to suspend planned humanitarian operations in Syria under a ceasefire agreement due to a surge of military activities, a spokeswoman for U.N. envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura said on Friday.
Aid activities, including evacuations of wounded, had been planned in Zabadani, a town surrounded by pro-government forces near the Lebanon border, and in rebel-besieged Shi'ite villages in the northwestern province of Idlib (Foua and Kefraya) in the deal agreed with U.N. help and backed by Iran and Turkey.
"The U.N. calls on all concerned parties to fulfill their responsibilities in the protection of civilians and reach the necessary understandings in order to implement this agreement as soon as possible," de Mistura's office said in a statement that made no explicit reference to Russia bombing Syria for a third day.
