Syria Extends Humanitarian Aid Delivery Through Turkey for 6 Months

The Syrian government has extended its approval for the delivery of humanitarian aid to areas controlled by opposition groups in the northwest of the country through a border crossing with Turkey for another six months. In a diplomatic note dated yesterday, which was reviewed by Reuters, the Syrian mission to the United Nations stated: "Damascus will extend the authorization granted to the United Nations to use the Bab al-Hawa crossing for delivering humanitarian aid to northwest Syria for an additional six months until July 13, 2024." The United Nations has been using the Bab al-Hawa border crossing between Syria and Turkey to deliver aid to millions of people in northwest Syria since 2014 under a mandate from the UN Security Council. The entry of aid through Bab al-Hawa was halted in mid-last year after a committee of 15 members failed to extend the agreement, before the Syrian government later allowed the UN to continue using the crossing for another six months.