A/HRC/24/46 2. Regional dimension 18. The joint call made by Turkey and the Islamic Republic of Iran for a truce to come into force during Ramadan, which reiterated an appeal by the Secretary -General, was disregarded by all parties. 19. Regional allies continued to provide military and financial support to the Government. Hizbullah now fights alongside government forces; young Iraqi Shiites are travelling to the Syrian Arab Republic to fight for the Government. The Government’s currency crisis has been temporarily stemmed by the extension of a $3.6 billion credit line from the Islamic Republic of Iran. A loan from the Russian Federation is reportedly under discussion, while pre-conflict arms deals between Moscow and Damascus continue to be honoured. 20. Influential Sunni clerics from several Arab States, including Saudi Arabia and Egypt, called on Sunnis to join the jihad against the Government of the Syrian Arab Republic and its supporters. Appeals, echoing an earlier call made by Al-Qaida leader Zawahiri, urged that money and weapons be provided to anti-government armed groups. 21. The conflict continues to affect the internal political dynamics of neighbouring countries. Nowhere is this more evident than in Lebanon: fierce clashes in Tripoli and Sidon; kidnappings, roadside bombs and cross-border shelling in the Beqaa Valley; rockets and a car bomb in Beirut, where a protester was killed during a sit-in in front of the Embassy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, were just a few instances of spreading violence. Lebanon hosts the largest number of Syrian refugees: according to the United Nations High Commission for Refugees, there were 665,978 as at 1 August. Jordan hosts more than 500,000 refugees, a quarter concentrated in Zaatari camp on the northern border with the Syrian Arab Republic, provoking growing concerns about the impact on the Kingdom’s economy, security and stability. 22. On 5 July, Israel attacked a site near Latakia, apparently targeting Russian -made missiles. This, and previous attacks inside the Syrian Arab Republic, could lead to a reassessment of the conflict in the legal framework of an international armed conflict. B. Military context 23. The conflict is deadlocked, with both warring parties convinced that a military victory is possible. This has led to an intensification of hostilities along distinct, though fluid, battle lines. Fighting continued, with both sides consolidating forces in their primary strongholds. Government forces continued to control major cities and lines of communications, while anti-government armed groups reinforced their presence in large swathes of the northern and eastern governorates, and areas along the Jordanian border. More regional actors were sponsoring flows of fighters and equipment, increasingly along sectarian lines, leading to a rise in corresponding violence. Meanwhile, the conflict has expanded beyond the country’s borders, re-igniting tensions in fragile neighbouring countries and threatening regional peace and security. 1. Government and pro-government forces 24. Government forces have seized the momentum in the past three months, recapturing some of the areas lost previously to the armed groups and consolidating their control over contested regions, particularly in Homs and Damascus countryside. 25. With the exception of Aleppo city, government forces reinforced their hold over major cities and economically important areas. Despite the efforts of armed groups, government forces successfully held most strategic military positions, air force bases and 5