United Nations Special Envoy for Syria, Geir O. Pedersen, issued a statement on Thursday, highlighting the escalating violence in Syria. The statement particularly emphasised Turkish strikes in northeast Syria, which followed an attack on Turkish security facilities in Ankara by the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

Pedersen reported that the Turkish strikes targeted civilian infrastructure and resulted in casualties. This escalation coincides with a broader increase in violence across Syria, including a drone attack on a military academy in Homs, attributed to extremist organisations, and government shelling in Idlib.

The envoy urgently appealed to all sides to exercise restraint and adhere to international law and warned that the status quo in Syria is unsustainable, expressing fear of further deterioration in the absence of a meaningful political path.