Fierce fighting in Syria leaves more than 500 dead

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on December 2 that the death toll in days of fighting in northern Syria since rebels launched a major offensive has risen to 514, including 92 civilians.

The SOHR said that among the dead were 268 fighters from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebel force and its allies, 154 army soldiers and pro-Syrian government fighters.

On the same day, United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres expressed "alarm" over the escalating violence in Syria and called for an immediate end to the fighting.

"All parties must make every effort to protect civilians and civilian facilities, including providing safe passage for people fleeing fighting," said UN Secretary-General's spokesman Stephane Dujarric.

According to diplomatic sources, the United Nations Security Council is expected to hold an emergency meeting on the situation in Syria today, December 3.

In a related development, local media reported that the Syrian government's air defense system intercepted many unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) in Homs city on the evening of December 2.

The Syrian government regularly accuses opposition forces or extremist groups operating in the country of carrying out such UAV attacks.