UN chief closely following military escalation throughout Syria

UNITED NATIONS, Feb. 10 (Xinhua) -- A UN spokesperson said Saturday that Secretary-General Antonio Guterres "is following closely the alarming military escalation throughout Syria and the dangerous spillover across its borders."

In a statement, his spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said that "the latest events come as the Syrian people suffer through one of the most violent periods in nearly seven years of conflict. Over 1,000 civilian casualties from airstrikes were reported in the first week of February alone."

"The Secretary-General stresses once again that all concerned in Syria and the region have a responsibility and must abide by international law and relevant Security Council resolutions. He calls on all to work for an immediate and unconditional de-escalation of violence and exercise restraint," Dujarric said.

"The Secretary-General further calls on the parties to move swiftly toward a political solution, in line with Security Council Resolution 2254, which is the only way to end the violence and the terrible suffering of the Syrian people," he added.

On Saturday, Israel conducted airstrikes against Iranian facilities in Syria, claiming an Iranian drone had entered the Israeli airspace from Syria. During the operation, the Syrian air defense launched missiles to shoot down an F-16 fighter jet of the Israeli Air Force. Enditem