Germany calls for civilian protection as Syrian conflict escalates

The German Foreign Office called on all parties in Syria to adhere to international humanitarian law following the resurgence of fighting, stating that the civilian population and infrastructure must be protected.

Germany is closely monitoring the rapidly changing situation in the north-west of the country, according to a statement issued on Sunday by the Foreign Office in Berlin: "We underline the need for a political solution in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions."

The fighting in Syria, which has been gripped by civil war since 2011, has recently flared up again violently for the first time in several years.

An offensive launched on Wednesday by an alliance of rebel groups led by the Islamist extremist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) apparently came as a surprise to the government of President Bashar al-Assad.

On Sunday, the Syrian government lost control of the city of Aleppo, the country's second-largest, as the opposition forces made more territorial gains, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Sunday.

HTS is considered one of the most powerful armed militias in north-western Syria.

The opposition assault is considered the largest by rebels on Aleppo since 2016, when they were ousted from the eastern areas of the city.

The fighting has displaced thousands of local inhabitants, the war monitoring group said.