Aid arrives in besieged Syrian town of Moadamiya al-Sham
The first of several convoys carrying aid to besieged areas of Syria has arrived at its destination, the BBC reports.
Thirty-five trucks have entered the town of Moadamiya al-Sham, near the Syrian capital Damascus, the Syrian Red Crescent told the BBC.
Syria humanitarian situation 'intolerable': Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Feb. 17 described the humanitarian situation in Syria as "intolerable" and reiterated her call for a no-fly zone to protect civilians, AFP reports.
"It would be helpful if there were an area in Syria where none of the parties to the conflict launched aerial attacks," Merkel told German parliament.
"We can't negotiate with the terrorists of the Islamic State, but if we were able to reach an agreement between anti- and pro-Assad forces on a kind of no-fly zone, in the sense of a sanctuary for the many refugees, then this would save many lives and aid the political process about Syria's future," she said.
Russia calls for pressure on Syrian opposition to implement agreement on humanitarian aid
Russia's Foreign Ministry has urged "anyone who has influence on the armed opposition groups in Syria to use their influence to implement the International Syria Support Group decision on humanitarian track, which needs movement from both sides of the conflict."
Moscow's call comes amid sharp international criticism over Russian and Syrian government airstrikes against hospitals and schools in northern Syria, which have cast doubt on the viability of plans for a ceasefire scheduled to start on Feb. 19.
Merkel repeats call for 'some kind of no fly zone' in northern Syria
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has repeated a call for a "kind of no fly zone" up to the Turkish border.
Merkel criticized attacks by Russia and Syrian government forces, saying they were "not in the spirit of the resolution that was passed by the UN Security Council in December."
50,000 homeless in southern Syria amid intensified fighting
Fighting between pro-government and rebel forces in southern Syria has left almost 50,000 civilians homeless in the middle of winter, the UN has said.
There has been heavy fighting in Syria's Daraa province, where the provincial capital Daraa city remains in rebel hands.
25 killed in Feb. 15 bombing of Syria hospital: MSF
At least 25 people were killed in the bombing of a hospital supported by Doctors Without Borders in northwestern Syria this week, the aid group has said according to AFP.
Revising a previous toll of 11 dead, an MSF spokeswoman said nine hospital staff and 16 other people, including patients and a child, had died after the bombing of the hospital on Monday in Idlib province.
Initiative for Syria no fly zone comes from Turkey, not Merkel: Lavrov
Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov has said that the initiative for establishing a no fly zone in northern Syria comes from Turkey and not from German Chancellor Angela Merkel.
'Aleppo is dying,' locals say amid heavy fighting
Syria's largest city Aleppo has transformed into a battlefield amid clashes between government troops and militant groups.
“Air strikes are ongoing daily, sometimes several times a day. It is tough for the people, there has been a lot of fighting with government forces, with Isis and with members from the Kurds group and “moderate” rebels. It is really frustrating not to know what will happen in the city," the Telegraph quoted Anfal Seddik of Syria Charity, which has operated in the country since 2011, as saying.
United States wants NATO to step up fight against IS
The United States is pressing NATO to play a bigger role against the IS group in Syria and Iraq, putting Washington at odds with Germany and France which fear the strategy would risk confrontation with the alliance's old Cold War foe Russia, Reuters reports.