France calls for UN meeting on Syria's Aleppo after fighting worsens

French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault on Tuesday called for an immediate United Nations (UN) Security Council meeting to discuss the situation in the Syrian city of Aleppo after escalated fighting there.

"More than ever before, we need to urgently put in place means to end the hostilities and to allow unhindered humanitarian aid," Ayrault said in a statement.

The top French diplomat, in a separate communique, expressed deep concerns over the massive offensive by the Syrian government forces, which he said "has killed a large number of civilians and forced thousands of inhabitants to flee the city."

France will in December host a meeting attended by representatives of countries that have been demanding the resignation of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to the French Foreign Ministry.

After a ceasefire accord collapsed in September, the security situation has worsened rapidly in Aleppo, a strategically-located Syrian city bitterly contested by both the government forces and the rebels.

The Syrian government forces are now controlling all of northeast Aleppo in northern Syria, as rebel defenses in the city have collapsed.

The five-year civil war has already killed up to 500,000 in Syria. Endi