Highlights
- Hostilities continue to be reported across Syria with attacks affecting the country’s southern and north-eastern governorates as well as Aleppo, Homs, Tartous and Lattakia.
- At least 2 million people in Aleppo city and the eastern countryside are facing water shortages due to the suspension of two water stations following damages to the Tishreen Dam on 10 December.
- On 14 December, the Syrian Arab Red Crescent and the International Committee of the Red Cross, in collaboration with UNICEF, conducted a joint mission to the Tishreen Dam’s technical management facility to facilitate urgent and critical repairs.
- Over 880,000 people remain newly displaced in Syria since the start of the escalation of hostilities on 27 November. Over 225,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) have returned, mostly to Hama and Aleppo governorates.
- The Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator (ERC), Tom Fletcher, arrived in Damascus on 16 December as part of a one-week trip to the Middle East.
Situation Overview
Hostilities continue to be reported in parts of Syria, while civil departments and public service institutions have resumed operations in most governorates.
Airstrikes were reported in the southern governorates of Syria as well as Homs, Tartous and Lattakia, resulting in damage to residential houses, health facilities, a bridge in Homs governorate, port in Lattakia and a main water pipeline in the Alhamediya town in Quneitra governorate. Hostilities have also been reported in Aleppo governorate, notably in Aleppo city, Menbij and Ain Al-Arab districts, as well as in Deir-ez-Zor, damaging the Hatla bridge and cutting off routes between seven villages and the western bank of the Euphrates River. These incidents have resulted in civilian deaths and injuries but the figures are unverified.
Reports of casualties from explosive remnants of war persist, with cases involving children each week. Six people, including three children from one family, were killed by a landmine explosion in Hama since the last Flash Update. In Menbij, one child was reported killed and three others injured in an unexploded ordnance blast in Jeb Makhzum village. Since 26 November, 93 new minefields have been identified across the country. Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams have since conducted 219 clearance operations, disposing of 516 explosive ordnance items.
To facilitate improved humanitarian access, OCHA’s Syria Regional Access Team is developing a stakeholder analysis that will inform the development of Joint Operating Principles and an Engagement Plan with relevant stakeholders.
Disclaimer
- UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs
- To learn more about OCHA's activities, please visit https://www.unocha.org/.