Russia and the United States traded accusations over supporting terrorism as a root cause of the Syrian war during an emergency meeting of the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) this past Tuesday.
Robert Wood, the U.S. Deputy Ambassador to the UN, called for de-escalation and the protection of civilians. Accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Russia, Wood stated, "The fact is, HTS rebels, designated as a terrorist organization by the U.S. and the UN, would not need to commit atrocities against Assad's regime and its Russian backers if there were no attacks on schools and hospitals."
In remarks directed at Wood, Russian Ambassador to the UN Vassily Nebenzia responded, "You cannot frame outright acts of terrorism targeting civilians in Syria's peaceful cities as bravery." He further added, "There is no illusion that Washington has a genuine commitment to fighting terrorism."
It is worth noting that Syrian rebel forces captured the city of Aleppo last week in an offensive led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), an organization that emerged from the former al-Qaeda affiliate Nusra Front. HTS has played a key role in attacks against Syrian government forces.
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