The Syrian government has failed to respond to a deadline due June 1 for widespread humanitarian aid distribution agreed between all interested parties. The deadline was agreed by the International Syria Support group (ISSG) which is co-chaired by the US and Russia and comprises 17 world and regional powers, as well as the Arab League, the European Union and the United Nations.
 
Some 4.000 people in the besieged suburb Darayya, in Damascus have been without food aid since 2012. They were reached on Wednesday but were given mostly medicines and other non-food items. Darayya's electricity supply was cut off more than three years ago.
 
In February, the United Nations food agency, called World Food Program (WFP), carried out a 21 pallet air drop which however was a failure, as 10 pallets were unaccounted for, 7 landed in no-man’s land and 4 were damaged. The operation took place in government-held area of Deir al-Zour in eastern Syria.
 
US state department spokesman John Kirby said hundreds of thousands of Syrians needed “sustained and regular” access to aid. He added the WFP had briefed the US on how the air drops could be carried out. The UN Security Council will meet on Friday to discuss the air drops.
 
“While air drops are complex, costly and risky, they are now the last resort to relieve human suffering across many besieged areas” said British Foreign Secretary Philip Hammond.
 
The US and UK called on Russia and Iran, which back the Syrian government, to use their influence to ensure the air drops could proceed safely. Russia said the arrival of Wednesday's aid convoys was a positive step.
 
UN emergency relief coordinator Stephen O'Brien said in April that the Syrian government had ignored “countless” requests for aid to be allowed in.
 
The UN believes there are more than 4.6 million people living in hard-to-reach areas in Syria, including nearly 600.000 in besieged areas which are in immediate need of humanitarian aid.