United Nations Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen speaks to members of the media as he leaves a hotel in Damascus on November 24, 2024. AFP
"We need now to make sure that we have immediately a ceasefire in Gaza, that we have a ceasefire in Lebanon, and that we avoid Syria being dragged even further into the conflict," said Geir Otto Pedersen ahead of a meeting with the Syrian foreign minister in Damascus.
Since Syria's civil war erupted in 2011, Israel has carried out hundreds of strikes in the country, targeting the army and Iran-backed groups, but also killing many civilians.
The Israeli military has intensified its strikes on targets in Syria since it escalated its assault on neighbouring Lebanon in late September after almost a year of cross-border hostilities with the Hezbollah group.
A Syrian war monitor on Friday said Israeli strikes on the city of Palmyra earlier in the week killed 92 alleged pro-Iran fighters, after a United Nations representative said the attack was likely the deadliest to date.
Israel rarely comments on individual strikes in Syria but has repeatedly battered Damascus and civilian sites near the densely populated capital.
*This story was edited by Ahram Online.
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