UNITED NATIONS, , Rabi'II 05, 1437, January 15, 2016, SPA -- United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon blasted Syria's warring parties on Thursday, particularly President Bashar al-Assad's government, for committing "atrocious acts" and "unconscionable abuses" against civilians, according to Reuters. Speaking after briefing the U.N. General Assembly on his 2016 priorities, Ban said harrowing images of starving civilians in the besieged town of Madaya reflected a new low in a war that had already reached "shocking depths of inhumanity." "Let me be clear: the use of starvation as a weapon of war is a war crime," Ban told reporters. "I would say they are being held hostage, but it is even worse. Hostages get fed." The U.N. Security Council will be briefed on Friday on the besiegement of some 400,000 people in Syria, diplomats said. The meeting was requested by Britain, France and the United States. --SPA 02:51 LOCAL TIME 23:51 GMT www.spa.gov.sa/w