BEIRUT: A senior Syrian opposition leader is blaming the US for allowing a de-escalation agreement to collapse in southwestern Syria, where government forces are advancing on rebel-held territory.
Nasr al-Hariri, who heads the committee that represents the opposition at UN peace talks, says it’s “shameful” that Washington allowed last year’s cease-fire agreement, brokered with Jordan and Russia, to collapse without “any efforts” to salvage it.
Speaking to reporters in Saudi Arabia, al-Hariri called on the UN to help protect civilians and to pressure Russia, a key ally of the Syrian government, to halt the offensive.
He says the rebels have taken hostages from Iranian-backed militias allied with government forces, calling it evidence that Iran is also involved in the offensive. Israel, which occupies the nearby Golan Heights, has repeatedly warned against any Iranian military presence in the area.
