The United Nations has warned of the growing risk of a humanitarian catastrophe along the Turkish border. He said work should be done to reach a permanent cease-fire in Idlib, not a truce that would crumble later. It said many of those who fled moved out of the town of Maaret al-Numan, toward which Syrian troops have been advancing since Thursday. Mercy Corps, a global humanitarian aid group, said aid workers were rapidly scaling up operations to respond to the massive influx of newly displaced people. The immediate goal of Syrian President Bashar Assad’s forces appeared to be reopening the strategic highway, which has been closed by the rebels since 2012.

Source: thestar December 27, 2019 16:32 UTC