UN chief strongly condemns latest attacks on civilians in Syria

In a statement from his spokesperson in New York, Ban called the attacks “horrendous acts of terror against innocent civilians” and reiterated that no one can achieve a military victory in the Syrian conflict.

He urged all Syrian and international actors to “put their differences aside” and to “exercise humility and bravery” to work together to stop the violence and achieve a political solution to the “heart-breaking situation in Syria.”

A car bombing and mortar shelling on Tuesday in the Zahra neighbourhood in central Homs killed and wounded dozens of people.

In Damascus, additional mortar fire targeted civilian areas, hitting a technical institute.

The UN Secretary-General again appealed to all parties “to at last live up to their responsibility under humanitarian law and stop targeting civilian areas”, including through aerial bombardments and barrel bombs.

The attacks come amid the ongoing cease-fire negotiations over the Old City of Homs, where at least one million of the estimated 2.5 million population in need of urgent humanitarian assistance. The city is surrounded on all sides, according to the UN, impacting all facets of daily life.

Last week, the top UN humanitarian officials, including UN Emergency Relief Coordinator Valerie Amos who on Wednesday briefed the Security Council on Syria, issued a strong challenge to re-energize a thus-far failed diplomatic push to end the brutal three-year conflict in Syria.