UN Special Envoy to Syria Staffan De Mistura warned, in his latest briefing to members of the Security Council, that the crisis in Syria faces major challenges and could lead to the explosion of the entire region. The intensity of international confrontations over Syria during the last month was unprecedented since 1973, De Mistura said, underscoring the need for “careful diplomacy” to support de-escalation, avoid miscalculations and facilitate genuine communication about sustainably ending the conflict. "The political solution in Syria would open the way for the reconstruction of the areas that have been destroyed over the past seven years since the beginning of the conflict," he said. “We must push forward the political process and peaceful negotiations." He called for robust international dialogue and consensus on de-escalation, confidence-building and creating minimum conditions for a credible peace process. “That process itself must be revived, in terms of the constitutional committee and initial steps towards the establishment of a safe, neutral environment. We stand ready to facilitate discussions on both,” he said. Regarding the northern rebel-held area of Idlib, De Mistura said that if the Syrian government’s previously-used tactic of bombing a rebel territory followed by negotiations and then mass evacuations is repeated in Idlib, it could affect “six times” more people than the battle to retake the suburbs of Ghouta, near the capital Damascus. “If we see a Ghouta scenario in Idlib, this could be six times worse, affecting 2.3 million people,” he said. He underscored the need for robust international dialogue and consensus on de-escalation, confidence-building and creating minimum conditions for a credible political process. Secretary-General of the United Nations Antonio Guterres called for self-restraint, avoiding escalation and for alleviating the suffering of the Syrian people. He pointed out that the UN is working to determine the responsibility of all parties for the success of the peace process. For her part, US Representative for Economic and Social Affairs Ambassador Kelley Currie accused Iran of building up the infrastructure to create another Hezbollah in Syria, stressing that her country “refuses to stay quiet.”