Saudi Arabia's Permanent Representative to UN Abdullah Al-Moallemi has appealed to the Security Council to provide immediate protection to civilians and children in Aleppo and other Syrian cities. Addressing an informal UN meeting on Aleppo on Monday evening, Moallemi urged the UN Office for Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Syrians and stop their forced displacement. The meeting was called by the US, France, Britain, New Zealand and Ukraine. "We condemn in the strongest terms the Syrian regime's continuous violations against civilians, exposing women and children to killings and their cities to destruction," said Moallemi. He said aerial bombardments by the Syrian regime and their allies were deliberate targeting schools, hospitals and medical personnel. The ambassador also condemned the criminal role being played by the foreign Revolutionary Guard forces in Syria and Hezbollah terrorist militias. The United Nations on Tuesday called for an urgent humanitarian ceasefire in Aleppo, in which it said two million residents were left without access to running water or electricity after attacks hit civilian infrastructure last week. "The UN is extremely concerned that the consequences will be dire for millions of civilians if the electricity and water networks are not immediately repaired," a statement from Yacoub El Hillo, UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator for Syria, and Kevin Kennedy, UN regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, said. The United Nations children's agency (UNICEF) warned of risks for children in particular. "These cuts are coming amid a heat wave, putting children at a grave risk of waterborne diseases," UNICEF said.
