A Russian official has criticized Washington's lack of authorization from Syria to deploy troops. The UN warned Damascus and Moscow of increased violence against civilians after a hospital was bombed, leaving 30 dead.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Maysun
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Moscow sees the deployment of an additional 250 US military personnel in Syria as an affront to Damascus' territorial sovereignty, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergei Ryabkov told Russia's state-owned TASS news agency on Friday.
"If we are talking from the position of the foreign minister, we - of course - cannot not be concerned over the fact that the US carries out such actions without coordination with the legitimate government of the Syrian Arab Republic," said Ryabkov.
"I stress that officially Damascus already gave a similar political assessment, and we fully agree with it," the minister added.
US President Barack Obama on Sunday announced that he had decided to send additional US special operations troops to support the 50 already on the ground. Obama said the unit will train local forces to fight the self-styled "Islamic State" militant group.
However, Damascus on Thursday rejected the move as a "direct attack" on Syria, saying it was deeply concerned about news reports suggesting 150 US troops entered the country this past week.
"This intervention is rejected and illegitimate, and it happened without the Syrian government's approval," an unnamed foreign ministry official told the official Syrian Arab News Agency.
Violence in Aleppo
Meanwhile, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights late Thursday reported that nearly 200 civilians have been killed since April 22, when violence escalated between rebel and government forces in and around the northern city of Aleppo.
The Observatory's report came shortly after warplanes bombed a hospital in Aleppo, leaving at least 30 dead.
Russia and the Syrian government denied responsibility for the incident, while US State Secretary John Kerry called on Moscow to pressure Damascus into ceasing hostilities.
The US and Russia brokered a "cessation of hostilities" that went into effect on February 27. However, the ceasefire has witnessed increased violations since mid-April.
Aleppo airstrikes kill at least 200 in Syria
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'Duty to protect civilians'
UN human rights chief Zeid Raad al-Hussein on Friday slammed the regime and rebel forces for the increase in civilian casualties.
"The violence is soaring back to the levels we saw prior to the cessation of hostilities. There are deeply disturbing reports of military build-ups indicating preparations for a lethal escalation," al-Hussein said in a statement.
"These indicate a serious, alarming disregard for one of the cornerstones of international humanitarian law: the duty to protect civilians," he added.
More than 270,000 people have been killed and half the population displaced since 2015, when the conflicted erupted following a violent government crackdown on pro-democracy protesters calling for President Bashar al-Assad to step down.
How the Syrian civil war began - and gave 'Islamic State' room to grow
Although the emergence of "IS" prompted international intervention in Syria, the jihadist group entered the conflict late in the game. DW examines how the war created space for this terrorist group to expand.
Image: AP
The "Arab Spring" effect
In 2011, as regimes crumble across the region, tens of thousands of Syrians take to the streets to protest against corruption, high unemployment and soaring food prices. The Syrian government responds with live ammunition, claiming some 400 lives by May.
Image: dapd
Condemnation without consensus
At the urging of Western countries, the UN Security Council condemns the violent crackdown. The EU and US implement an arms embargo, visa bans and asset freezes in the months that follow. With the backing of the Arab League, calls eventually grow for the Syrian president's departure. But not all UN members agree with this demand.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/J. Szenes
Assad refuses to back down
Bashar al-Assad - who has been in power since the death of his father in 2000 - sees his reputation wane with the continuing unrest. He refuses to end decades-long emergency rule, which allows for surveillance and interrogation. Russia backs its ally, supplying weapons and vetoing UN resolutions on Syria multiple times.
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/Y. Badawi
The opposition gets organized
By the end of the year, human rights groups and the UN have evidence of human rights abuses. Civilians and military deserters are slowly beginning to organize themselves to fight back against government forces, which have been targeting dissidents. More than 5,000 have died so far in the fighting. It will take another six months before the UN acknowledges that a war is taking place on Syrian soil.
Image: Reuters/Goran Tomasevic
Outside intervention
In September 2012, Iran confirms that it has fighters on the ground in Syria - a fact long denied by Damascus. The presence of allied troops underscores the hesitance of the US and other Western powers to intervene in the conflict. The US, stung by failed interventions in Afghanistan and Iraq, sees dialogue as the only reasonable solution.
Image: AP
Fleeing the conflict
As the death toll nears 100,000, the number of refugees in neighboring countries - such as Turkey and Jordan - hits one million. That number will double by September 2013. The West and the Arab League have seen all attempts at a transitional government fail in the two years of war, watching as fighting spills over into Turkey and Lebanon. They fear Assad will stay in power by any means possible.
Image: Reuters/B. Khabieh
No united front against Assad
Assad has long claimed he's combatting terrorists. But it's not until the second year of war that the fragmented Free Syrian Army is definitely known to include radical extremists. The group Al-Nusra Front pledges allegiance to al Qaeda, further splintering the opposition.
Image: Reuters/A. Abdullah
From brute force to chemical warfare
In June 2013, the White House says it has evidence that Assad has been using sarin nerve gas on civilians - a report later backed by the UN. The discovery pushes US President Barack Obama and other Western leaders toward considering the use of military force. However, Russia's proposal to remove the chemical weapons ultimately wins out.
Image: Reuters
Islamic State emerges
Reports of a new jihadist group calling itself the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) emerge in the final weeks of 2013. Taking land in northern Syria and Iraq, the group sparks infighting among the opposition, with some 500 dead by early 2014. The unexpected emergence of IS ultimately draws the US, France, Saudi Arabia and other nations into the war.
