UNITED NATIONS: A UN representative on Thursday said Israeli strikes that killed 79 people in the city of Palmyra was “likely the deadliest Israeli strike in Syria to date,” warning of escalating violence in the country.
The toll was “the highest due to Israeli raids in Syria since the start of the conflict” in the country in 2011, said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
At least 79 people were killed on Wednesday in the central city, which sits adjacent to a UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
“Once again Israeli airstrikes on Syria have increased significantly, both in frequency and scope,” Najat Rochdi, UN deputy special envoy to Syria, tells the Security Council.
“Just yesterday, we saw dozens killed in a strike near Palmyra –- likely the deadliest Israeli strike in Syria to date,” Rochdi says.
She adds that violence remains at “troubling levels” in other areas, including northwest Syria, where she cited an uptick in drone and artillery attacks.
.@rochdi_najat immediate priority for #Syria is de-escalation. Country is being battered by relentless storms of regional conflict & by the rising waves of conflict within its own borders. This year is well on track to be the most violent since 2020… https://t.co/QWmamgfw93 pic.twitter.com/TtFrHfSY62
— Jenifer Vaughan (Fenton) (@jeniferfenton) November 21, 2024
Since 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, mainly targeting the army and armed groups.
The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on targets in Syria since almost a year of hostilities with Hezbollah in neighbouring Lebanon escalated in late September.
“Clearly, the immediate priority for Syria is de-escalation,” Rochdi says. “As humanitarian aid diminishes and hostile rhetoric and actions intensify, Syrians are being driven into increasingly precarious and unsustainable conditions.” – AFP
