During the meeting of the United Nations Security Council on December 3, representatives of Russia and the United States argued over the escalation of the situation in Syria, accusing each other of supporting terrorism, Reuters reported. Syrian militants captured Aleppo last week from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. "as a result of the attack initiated by the group. The group is under UN Security Council sanctions and has been designated a terrorist organization by several countries.
Robert Wood, the US Deputy Permanent Representative to the United Nations, called for de-escalation of the ongoing fighting in Syria and protection of the civilian population. He also expressed concern that the insurgent attack was led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. "The fact that Hayat Tahrir al-Sham is recognized by the United States and the United Nations as a terrorist organization does not justifies further atrocities by (Syrian President) Assad's regime and its Russian backers," Wood said, accusing Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's forces and Russia of peacefully in causing casualties among the population by carrying out attacks on schools and hospitals. In his speech addressed to Wood, the Permanent Representative of Russia to the United Nations, Vasiliy Nebenzya, said:
"You couldn't muster the courage to condemn the clear terror that was carried out against civilians in the peaceful cities of Syria."
Frankly, we're happy to be on opposite sides of the barricades with you right now," Nebenzia said. Wood responded by accusing Nebenzia of "not lecturing us on this issue" because Moscow "supports regimes that sponsor terrorism around the world." "The United States has fought the scourge of terrorism for decades and will continue to fight it," he said.
