"So much for this de-escalation zone [Eastern Ghouta]. They have starved people there, they have prevented humanitarian aid from getting in. We have seen innocent civilians killed," Nauert told reporters. "That is certainly no de-escalation zone… It shows what a farce this de-escalation zone has become."
The UN Security Council agreed to meet at noon on Thursday to address the humanitarian crisis in the Syrian suburb, as humanitarian crisis kept getting worse in the region.
Eastern Ghouta is one of four Syrian de-escalation zones created during the Astana Syrian reconciliation talks, with Russia, Iran and Turkey serving as guarantors of the de-escalation agreements. The area is dominated by several terrorist organisations, which Syrian government forces have been conducting military operation against for several days.
On Wednesday, Russian Defence Ministry reported that appeals to illegal armed groups to cease resistance and surrender arms were unsuccessful, saying that the negotiations for the peaceful settlement of the conflict in the region have been derailed.