The displacement figure could reach 1.5 million, according to a World Food Program official.
Recent fighting between Islamist groups and Syrian government forces has displaced approximately 280,000 people in just days, the United Nations announced Friday.
Samer AbdelJaber, head of emergency coordination at the UN World Food Programme (WFP), warned that this number could rise to 1.5 million.
Militants, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), launched a surprise offensive from their Idlib base last week. This marks the first major conflict between jihadist and Syrian government forces since a Russia-Turkey brokered ceasefire in March 2020, following years of civil war.
HTS, also known as the “Organization for the Liberation of the Levant,” is designated a terrorist group by the UN Security Council.
“The current figure stands at 280,000 people since November 27,” AbdelJaber told Geneva reporters, emphasizing that this latest displacement adds to years of suffering.
Over the past week, militants have pushed back Syrian troops, seizing significant territory in the northeast, including Aleppo (under government control since 2016) and Hama on Thursday.
Hama’s strategic central location, approximately 200km from Damascus and 50km north of Homs, is noteworthy.
Reports indicate thousands are fleeing Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, as militants advance.
AbdelJaber stated that the WFP and other aid organizations are “working to reach affected communities and establish safe routes for aid delivery.”
He cautioned that “at the current rate, we anticipate around 1.5 million displaced people requiring assistance.”