A severe storm on 31 December struck 90 sites across Aleppo, Idleb, and Al-Hasakeh governorates in Syria, affecting more than 150,000 people. Humanitarian partners reported that two infants died from extreme cold in northern Idleb. Approximately 5,000 shelters were fully or partially damaged, leaving families exposed to freezing temperatures and increasing the risk of hypothermia and respiratory illnesses.
Conditions have worsened as fuel supplies run out, with displacement sites in Al-Hasakeh city and collective shelters in Ar-Raqqa lacking fuel after support ended in December due to funding shortfalls. Aid workers have since provided stoves and fuel to over 10,000 displaced people. The United Nations estimates that $112 million is needed for life-saving winter assistance in Syria through March 2026, but only $29 million has been secured, leaving a 74 percent funding gap.
In Nigeria, attacks on schools have raised grave concerns for civilian safety and the right to education. The UN called for stronger protection of civilians following a wave of attacks in Niger state, including a recent assault on a market in Kasuwan Daji village, where more than 30 people were reportedly killed, numerous individuals abducted, and homes and stalls set on fire. Previous incidents in Agwara LGA involved the mass abduction of over 300 people, mostly students, after an attack on Saint Mary’s Catholic School.
UN Resident and Humanitarian Coordinator Mohamed Malick Fall emphasized that such attacks are serious violations of human rights, undermining the right to life, civilian protection, and access to education. He reiterated the need for Nigeria to implement the 2015 Safe Schools Declaration, which commits countries to protect education from attacks and prevent the use of schools for military purposes during armed conflict.
In southern Lebanon, UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) peacekeepers reported three Israeli airstrikes, fighter aircraft activity, and small arms and tank fire from Israel Defense Forces positions south of the Blue Line, the UN-patrolled buffer zone between Israel and Lebanon. The UN is maintaining close contact with both sides to prevent further escalation. Jean-Pierre Lacroix, head of UN Peace Operations, is visiting UNIFIL headquarters and the Blue Line to monitor the situation, stressing that the cessation of hostilities arrangement, rather than unilateral actions, should be used to maintain security on both sides of the separation line.
