New York, United States - December 09, 2024 Members of the United Nations Security Council on Monday urged all parties in Syria to prioritize the interests of the Syrian people and work toward a political resolution to the chaotic situation in the country following the collapse of the government under President Bashar al-Assad. At the request of Russia, the five permanent members and 10 non-permanent members of the U.N. Security Council held closed-door consultations on the situation in Syria on Monday. Ahead of the closed-door consultations, several representatives of the Security Council member states met the press and stated their countries' positions on the issue. The rapidly evolving situation in Syria took a dramatic turn as al-Assad arrived in Russia seeking asylum after his government collapsed on Sunday following a sweeping offensive by militant groups. The groups, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), waged a major offensive from northern Syria since late November and have since swept southwards through government-held areas, capturing the capital Damascus. The fall of al-Assad's government brought a surprise end to the nearly 14-year Syrian civil war, adding to uncertainties for both the war-torn nation and the broader Middle East region. Shotlist: U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Dec 9, 2024: FILE: U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown 1. United Nations headquarters; FILE: U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown 2. U.N. logo; 3. U.N. flag; U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Dec 9, 2024 4. Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations, walking towards press; 5. SOUNDBITE (English) Fu Cong, China's permanent representative to United Nations: "We are following the situation very closely and we want to see the situation stabilize as soon as possible. And we do hope that an inclusive political process can be initiated as soon as possible. And the factions and parties in Syria should take the interests of the people as their priority."; U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Dec 9, 2024 6. SOUNDBITE (English) James Kariuki, Deputy Permanent Representative of United Kingdom to United Nations (partially overlaid with shot 7): "All of these things require a lot of actors, so there's been a huge amount of diplomacy over the weekend with phone calls and meetings. So I think there's a lot of diplomacy going on. It needs to include the Big Five, it needs to include countries of the region. Ultimately, it's about Syrian people and getting behind them and their aspirations for a better future."; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] FILE: U.N. Headquarters, New York City - Date Unknown 7. U.N. flag; [SHOT OVERLAYING SOUNDBITE] Damascus, Syria - Dec 8, 2024 8. Smoke billowing from building; 9. Pedestrians, traffic; Damascus, Syria - Dec 8, 2024 10. Damaged vehicles in street; 11. Various of street view, pedestrians, smoke coming from concrete pedestal in street, traffic. [Restriction - For news purpose only/No archive/Not for other production use, No Access Chinese Mainland/Orient TV/Syria Alshaab TV/Zanoubia TV/Alhurra TV/ANN TV/Al Jazeera/ Al-Arabiya TV]