The local council in Zabadani announced that residents of the besieged town are now threatened by starvation for the third time this year after food supplies have completely run out. The last UN aid convoy entered the town on September 25, 2016.
In a statement released on Tuesday, the council said that even the grass and leaves residents previously were reduced to eating are becoming increasingly scarce with the onset of winter.
The Hezbollah militias have laid siege on the town for over two years and have been preventing civilians from entering or leaving the town. Regime militias have also been impeding the delivery of aid by the UN aid agencies.
The local council warned that scarcity of food will lead to starvation and diseases that cannot be treated using the available medical equipment and supplies.
Over the past year, nearly 60 civilians, mostly children, have starved to death in the neighboring town of Madaya, also besieged by the Hezbollah militia and regime forces.
The council called upon the United Nations and concerned countries to exercise pressure on the troops and militias besieging the town, namely regime forces and the Hezbollah militia, to allow the introduction of relief aid to Zabadani to avoid a looming disaster. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Office)
