Syrian airstrikes exacerbate aid crisis

Thousands flee homes after attack on rebel-held areas near Jordan border

Airstrikes pounded rebel-held areas in southwestern Syria on Thursday, killing at least 17 civilians in an underground shelter and driving thousands from their homes, as scores of displaced people protested near the Israeli-occupied Golan Heights, demanding international protection. The Syrian government pressed ahead with its offensive to reclaim the strategic region that extends along the border with Jordan and the Golan Heights, and which was until recently part of a U.S.-backed and negotiated truce.

Signalling that the humanitarian crisis is likely to deepen, UN officials said that because of the fighting, no aid has entered from Jordan to reach the estimated 50,000 people displaced since Tuesday. Jordan, which is already hosting 660,000 registered refugees, says it cannot accept any more and has sealed its border, despite appeals from aid groups. Near the Golan Heights, scores of newly displaced raised banners in protest. Thousands have fled to the area, saying they thought the proximity to Israeli forces would deter Syrian air raids.

One activist said the camps are about three kilometres from the frontier.

Activists and a UN official said a new group fled their homes Thursday in the western Daraa province, where government strikes pounded Nawa, one of the largest towns in the area.

Linda Tom, a spokesperson for the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, said unconfirmed reports suggest a “very large number” — estimated at 50,000 people — were driven from Nawa.

Yasser al-Khatib, of the activist-operated Nabaa news, provided a similar estimate.

A top UN adviser on humanitarian aid for Syria, Jan Egeland, said he believes the frontier with the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights is “hermetically closed.”

“I think you have to ask the Israelis whether they are going also to take part in giving shelter, protection, to people who flee,” Egeland said.