A UNITED NATIONS envoy today called for a quick end to Western sanctions against Syria as the country’s new leaders, and regional and global powers, begin to chart a path forward following the fall of President Bashar al-Assad.

This came as the Israelis continued to mount heavy air attacks on Syria and has occupied part of Syrian territory.

The Syrian government has been under strict sanctions by the United States, the European Union and others for years after anti-government protests in 2011 later spiralled into a civil war.