An evacuation of besieged rebel districts in the northern Syrian city of Aleppo was announced late on Tuesday but did not go ahead as planned after Iran, one of President Bashar Assad’s main backers, imposed new conditions, saying it wanted the rebels to allow the simultaneous evacuation of two Shi’ite-Muslim villages. A ceasefire that had coincided with news of the evacuation plan broke down and fighting rages again in the remaining districts under rebel control, with both the Syrian government and rebels accusing each other of breaching the ceasefire first. The collapse of the ceasefire prompted the renewed airstrikes and shelling of the besieged districts, with no immediate indication of when the Aleppo evacuation might take place. Turkey stepped into the picture to try and persuade Iran, Russia and the United States to try and ensure the evacuation of civilians and rebel fighters from Aleppo as soon as possible. In the Turkish city of Istanbul, hundreds of protesters gathered outside the Iranian consulate to protest against the Islamic Republic for setting new conditions on a ceasefire in Aleppo. “The people of Iran should not accept their government’s (policies). They shouldn’t remain silent. They should do something. If they don’t do it for religion, they should do it for humanity. We are all humans. Even the animals wouldn’t do what we humans did in Aleppo.” Maria Abdullah Syrian Protester living in Istanbul.
“Hundreds of people, thousands of civilians are being killed including women and children. This massacre is carried out by Iran, a country said to be Muslim. Tonight we are here at the Iranian consulate to protest this. We came here with our children. We are here to show that we stand in solidarity with people of Aleppo,” Erdem Bas, Turkish Protester.
Meanwhile at the United Nations, spokesman Stephane Dujarric called on warring parties in Aleppo to immediately stop the fighting, while noting that UN teams were on the ground in Aleppo to respond to the needs of those displaced. “The UN is deeply concerned by reports of fighting in Aleppo today despite the announcement of a cease fire agreement last night. Any continued fighting leaves thousands of civilians in the direct line of fire. The safety and security of tens of thousands of men, women and children still trapped in eastern Aleppo remains precarious. We urgently call for a pause in fighting to allow people who wish to leave safely the besieged Eastern Aleppo for destination of their choice. The parties must also ensure that those who have surrendered or been captured and are treated humanely and in line with international law.” / “UN teams on the ground in Aleppo are responding to the needs of those displaced – where we have access. We stand ready to step up or support all parts of Aleppo but it is critical that the UN obtain approval to go anywhere in Aleppo where people are in need and urgent protection and humanitarian assistance is needed. The high commissioner for human rights also said today that any evacuation of the civilian parts of eastern Aleppo must be carried out in compliance with international law. The Syrian government he says has a clear responsibility to ensure its people are safe. The high commissioner said it was palpably failing to take this opportunity to do so,” Stephane Dujarric, UNSG Spokesman said.