Briefing the UN Security Council via video from Geneva, UN Secretary-General's Special Representative for Syria Geir Pedersen said that many fighters in the war-torn country sought refuge in Idlib, and terrorist groups and foreign fighters are a major force in Idlib.
"Their presence and influence in the area is unacceptable and a major challenge, first and foremost to the civilian population of Idlib itself and also in a wider sense for Syria and for regional and international security," he said.
However, the UN envoy warned that a continued all-out military approach will not solve this problem, and cautioned against the risk of dispersal of foreign terrorist fighters and ongoing insurgency.
He added such an approach "will only entrench and further harden the deep international divisions over Syria and lead to more and more pressure, weakening prospects for a step-by-step dynamic to build trust and confidence."
Idlib, with a population of 3 million, is the last rebel stronghold in the Arab country that has been suffering a nine-year-old war.
In May 2017, a de-escalation zone was established in Idlib as a result of the Astana talks, whose guarantors were Russia, Iran and Turkey. In September 2018, Russia and Turkey brokered a stabilization memorandum for Idlib. But fighting continues to erupt in the province.