UN Syria envoy Staffan de Mistura appealed to Jabhat al-Nusra, Syria’s al-Qaeda affiliate, to leave Aleppo saying, ‘1,000 of you are deciding the destiny of the 275,000 civilians.’ Jabhat al-Nusra’s role in Aleppo is omitted from most mainstream press accounts. John Kerry said, ‘Russia and the Syrian regime owe the world an explanation as to why they keep hitting hospitals, medical facilities, children and women’. He called for war crimes investigations. The understandable impulse to assist Syrians suffering as a result of war is heartfelt and laudable – but for policymakers, there is also the need to weigh the consequences of military action, reflecting on what was learned from interventions in Iraq, Libya and Afghanistan. Even the establishment of humanitarian or safe zones would entail a ‘major combat mission.’ See also article 4 in the British Isles section.