The conflict in Syria which has been going on since 2011 is threatening escalation, a United Nations commission has warned.

Syria is experiencing “new waves of hostilities,” said chairman of the UN’s Syria Commission of Inquiry, Paulo Pinheiro.

He was speaking on Tuesday while presenting his latest report to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.

Mr Pinheiro referred to recent fighting in north-eastern Syria between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces on the one side and government troops, Arab tribes and Iranian-backed militias on the other.

The SDF is supported by the United States.

The report says Israel has increasingly attacked targets in Syria in the wake of the tensions since the terrorist attack on October 7 and the start of the Gaza war.

Iranian militias have been attacked in the process. These in turn responded with attacks on US bases, whereupon US troops carried out retaliatory strikes.

The commission refers to incidents between January 1 and June 30. During this period, six countries were militarily active there, including Russia and Turkey, in addition to the U.S.

Syrian government troops used internationally banned cluster munitions in the north-west of the country, killing or injuring at least 150 people.

Half of which are women and children. The commission says this could constitute war crimes.

Turkish forces had hit power plant turbines and medical buildings during air strikes in the north-east. This is also illegal.

The commission accuses the Syrian government of torturing prisoners.

It also condemned the fact that the SDF, led by Kurdish militias, has been holding almost 30,000 minors in camps for several years in poor conditions.

They accused their parents of supporting the terrorist organisation Islamic State.

(dpa/NAN)