UN Warns of Escalating Violence in Syria, Risk of Large-Scale Conflict Amid Humanitarian Crisis

The conflict has also drawn in regional actors, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian officials and militias, resulting in civilian casualties.

The UN Syria Commission of Inquiry has raised alarms over escalating violence in Syria, warning of the intensification of fighting on multiple fronts and the risk of a large-scale war. In its latest report, the Commission highlighted the recent surge in hostilities, particularly in northeast Syria, where Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) have clashed with Arab tribes, government forces, and Iran-backed militias. These conflicts, exacerbated by deep-rooted grievances, threaten further instability.

The conflict has also drawn in regional actors, with Israeli airstrikes targeting Iranian officials and militias, resulting in civilian casualties. Iranian-backed groups have retaliated by attacking US bases in eastern Syria, prompting counter-attacks from US forces.

In northwest Syria, the Syrian government has continued indiscriminate attacks on civilians, including the use of cluster munitions, killing and injuring over 150 people, many of them women and children. Russian airstrikes have also contributed to civilian casualties in Idlib, while Turkish forces conducted airstrikes in northeast Syria that targeted vital infrastructure, affecting essential services for over a million people.

Southern Syria remains gripped by violence, including a massacre in Daraa where a pro-government militia brutally executed civilians. The UN report accuses Syrian government forces of failing to protect civilians and highlights ongoing torture, sexual violence, and deaths in state custody, despite international orders to cease such practices.

The Commission has documented similar abuses by other factions, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) and the Syrian National Army (SNA). Thousands of detainees, including children, continue to be held in inhumane conditions in camps run by the SDF, with Yazidi survivors of genocide imprisoned alongside their former captors.

As Syria's humanitarian crisis worsens, the report warns that over 13 million people face severe food insecurity, with children suffering from malnutrition. Protests have erupted across the country, with Syrians demanding rights and reforms amidst the economic collapse. The UN urges the international community to prevent forced refugee returns, as Syria remains highly unsafe for its citizens.