UN Dispatches Aid Through Türkiye to Quake-Hit Syria

The United Nations' first convoy of aid crossed from Türkiye to Syria's northwestern Idlib province on Thursday, three days after the devastating earthquake.

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Six truckloads of aid entered the Bab al-Hawa border crossing through the Cilvegozu border gate in Türkiye's southern Hatay province. Bab al-Hawa is currently the only crossing through which the UN aid is allowed to go into the area.

Ankara is working to open two more border gates with Syria to enable the delivery of humanitarian aid to its neighbor which also suffers from massive earthquakes.

"Cilvegozu border gate is open. We are working to open two more gates... We also provide the necessary support for the aid to reach Syria," Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said.

On Thursday, Iran's fifth batch of humanitarian aid also arrived in the Syrian capital Damascus. The delivered batch includes 45 tons of blankets, carpets, tents, and foodstuff.

Iran has also sent rescue teams to the two countries. On Wednesday, Esmaeil Qa'ani, commander of the Quds Force of Iran's Islamic Revolution Guards Corps, visited the quake-hit Syrian city of Aleppo and expressed support for its people.

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Nasser Kanaani on Monday called on other countries to pressure the United States into lifting the sanctions on Syria and the siege of the country to enable the delivery of international aid to the quake-hit Syrian regions.

The massive earthquakes on Monday and their aftershocks have so far killed over 17,000 people in Türkiye and Syria, injuring tens of thousands.