DAMASCUS/ANKARA/BAGHDAD, Dec 10, 2024 (BSS/Xinhua) - UN humanitarians on Monday described the situation in Syria as chaotic and fluid, with more than 16 million Syrians in need of assistance.

 The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) said 1 million people were displaced from their homes in the west and northwest alone from Nov. 28 to Dec. 8. "There is an urgent need for more shelter, food, and sanitation facilities."

 The office said the recently displaced were primarily women and children from Aleppo, Hama, Homs and Idlib governorates. The situation is very fluid, with reports of more people returning in the last couple of days. Transportation routes were disrupted, limiting the movement of people, goods and humanitarian aid.

 Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced on Monday that Trkiye will reopen a border gate with Syria in southern Hatay province to facilitate the voluntary and secure return of Syrian refugees.

 "We are opening the Yayladagi crossing to prevent overcrowding and facilitate traffic during the return (of Syrian refugees)," Erdogan said at a press conference after a cabinet meeting in the Turkish capital Ankara.

 The Yayladagi crossing close to the northwest tip of Syria has been closed since 2013 due to fighting near the border.

 While highlighting significant changes in Syria's socio-political landscape, Erdogan expressed optimism about the region's future. "As of yesterday, a dark period in Syria has ended, and a brighter era has begun," he said.

 "The strong winds of change sweeping Syria will lead to positive outcomes for all Syrians, especially refugees. As stability is restored to Syria, voluntary, safe, dignified, and orderly returns (of Syrian refugees) will increase," he added.

 Israel launched a series of airstrikes on Monday targeting Syrian navy vessels docked at Latakia Port and military depots in coastal areas, according to a war monitor.

 The attacks also hit arms depots in Syria's capital Damascus in what appears to be a systematic effort to dismantle Syria's remaining military infrastructure following the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government, said the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

 In addition, airstrikes targeted the 112th Brigade between the cities of Sheikh Miskin and Nawa in the west of Daraa province, as well as military depots near the Mahja town in northern Daraa.

 Two civilians were killed in airstrikes on the 12th Brigade in the city of Izraa, the observatory added.

 The Iraqi Foreign Ministry on Monday strongly condemned the Israeli seizure of the Syrian buffer zone in the Golan Heights and neighboring lands.

 "This action represents a blatant violation of international law and relevant resolutions of international legitimacy," the ministry said in a statement.

 It emphasized respecting Syria's sovereignty, preserving its stability, unity, and territorial integrity, and refraining from interference in its internal affairs.

 It also called on the international community, particularly the UN Security Council, to assume its responsibilities in condemning this aggression and taking measures to end such violations that exploit the current situation in Syria.

Syria's militant forces that have taken control of Damascus announced on Monday a general amnesty for all army personnel conscripted into mandatory service, the official news agency SANA reported.

 "We grant amnesty to all army conscripts under mandatory service. They are guaranteed safety, and any aggression against them is prohibited," the militant forces' Military Operations Department said in a statement.

 The amnesty is seen as part of broader reconciliation efforts to reintegrate military personnel who may have been captured or fled during the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government.