LATEST: 7 Wounded as Syrian Helicopters Fire Rockets Into Lebanese Town
After months of negotiations and hesitations, the United Nations Security Council voted unanimously on Monday to mandate cross-border aid to Syrians in insurgent-held areas.
Under the resolution, UN agencies and other aid groups can use four international routes: two on the border with Turkey, one with Iraq, and one with Jordan. Syria’s authorities will be notified of the nature of the cargoes, but they will not have control of the deliveries.
A UN monitoring mechanism will be established to ensure weapons are not smuggled in the convoys.
The resolution raises the prospect of assistance to 10.8 million Syrians, 6.5 million of whom are displaced — out of a pre-conflict population of 22 million — but questions remain.
Foremost among these is that of enforcement if the Assad regime, which has maintained a siege of up to two years on some cities, towns, and villages controlled by the opposition, blocks the assistance.
The regime had long criticized the resolution as an infringement on its sovereignty, while its ally Russia had objected to any reference to Chapter VII of the UN Charter, which endorses non-military measures such as sanctions or military operation in the event of non-compliance.
Agreement was only reached when the draft was amened with no mention of Chapter VII. Instead, the Council stressed that the member states are “obligated under Article 25 of the UN Charter to accept and carry out the Council’s decisions”.
The resolution also dropped the wording that aid could be delivered without permission from Damascus.
During final debate, Syria’s Ambassador to the UN, Bashar al-Jaafari, said the regime would cooperate with the UN. He said restrictions on aid were due to “foreign-backed terrorism” and accused “certain circles and powers” — such as Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Turkey — of using that “creative terrorism” to exacerbate the humanitarian situation as they pressed “meddlesome agendas”.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon welcomed the resolution and called on all parties to enable unconditional access and to lift sieges. He made no reference to what would occur if this call was not heeded.
The opposition Syrian National Coalition, despite the amendment of the resolution, called for Chapter 7 enforcement.
7 Wounded as Syrian Helicopters Fire Rockets Into Lebanese Town
A “security source” said Syrian helicopter fired two rockets into the outskirts of Arsal in northeast Lebanon, wounding seven people, one of them critically.
The attack follows clashes between Hezbollah and Syrian insurgents near the Syrian-Lebanese border, close to Arsal.
Syrian warplanes, claiming to pursue insurgents, have fired on several occasions on or near Arsal.
Activists: Last Insurgents Leave Deir Ez Zor City
Caught between the advance of the Islamic State and the presence of regime forces, the last insurgents have left Deir Ez Zor city in eastern Syria.
The Deir Ez Zor Local Coordinating Committee said fighters of the Islamist faction Jabhat al-Nusra and Ahrar al Sham, part of the Islamic Front, evacuated their bases on Sunday night.
Activists said that there were no arrests or executions as the Islamic State assumed control of the insurgent-held areas on Monday and that basic services had improved, including electricity, water, and food supplies.
