The Syrian government insisted Thursday there is no need for the United Nations to airdrop food supplies in besieged parts of the embattled nation because “no one” is starving.
The U.S., Britain and France urged the U.N. to start humanitarian aid drops ahead of an upcoming Security Council meeting to discuss the crisis in parts of Syria. According to Sky News, deliveries made it into Daraya Wednesday for the first time since 2012 and Moadamiyeh for the first time since March.
However, the humanitarian convoy didn’t bring any food.
The Telegraph reported that video footage from the greater Damascus region has shown dozens of men, women and children on the verge of starvation. A 12-year-old girl died Wednesday of malnutrition bringing the number of starvation-related deaths in the area to more than 70.
Bouthaina Shabaan, a senior adviser to Bashar Assad, told The Telegraph Thursday there was “no need” for the U.N. or major world powers to intervene.
French ambassador Francois Delattre said access to the towns and villages under siege in Syria remained blocked. Delatrre pinned the blame on the Assad regime.
“France is asking the United Nations and in particular the WFP (World Food Programme) to begin humanitarian air drops for all the areas in need, beginning with Daraya, Moadamiyeh and Madaya, where the civilian population including children risks dying of hunger,” he said.
The International Syria Support Group (ISSG) requested that the WFP prepared for air drops if emergency aid remained blocked, although it’s unclear whether Syria will allow planes carrying supplies into its airspace.
State Department spokesman John Kirby said the deliveries to Daraya and Moadamiyeh were “far from sufficient” and the U.S. supported moving forward on plans for the air drops.
According to Associated Press from Geneva the World Food Program says U.N. officials are appealing to the Syrian government to get permission for air drops to besieged areas of the war-torn country.

WFP says it is “activating” the air delivery plan following a request from the International Syria Support Group of mostly regional and world powers led by the U.S. and Russia, but that it needs authorizations and funding first.
Government forces have surrounded most of the 19 U.N.-designated “besieged areas” in Syria.
WFP said late Thursday that 15 of them would require helicopter operations for the air drops if land access is not granted. It says high-altitude airdrops would be possible in the villages of Fouah and Kfraya, in addition to the northeastern city of Deir Ezzor where airdrops have already taken place.
Opposition forces in Syria have called for a countrywide cease-fire for the Islamic holy month of Ramadan and aid access for all Syrians.
An earlier cease-fire that went into effect in late February brought relief to some opposition areas but frayed by late April.
Source: Fox News, Associated Press, 3 June 2016