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A/HRC/26/CRP.1 3 these regional actors continue to play a key and invaluable role in pushing for a political solution. 10. While parties have emphasised the fact that the June 2012 Geneva Communiqué remains the basis for a negotiated settlement, the prospects for the necessary inclusive political dialogue amongst the parties appears to be even further out of reach. Instead, latest developments suggest that some belligerents believe that an armed resolution to the conflict remains possible. 11. In this context, it is ever more urgent for influential states to promote a political solution as the sole means of bringing an end to the war. III. Military Situation 12. Armed confrontations continue to rage on a multitude of distinct frontlines involving an increased number of armed actors on all sides. Long-lasting stalemates in the governorates of Idlib, Homs, and Hasakah have been recently interrupted by brutal outbreaks of fighting that expanded to new localities such as Idlib city (Idlib) and Tadmor (Homs). 13. Conflict dynamics have been further complicated by the deepening external interference, accentuating the internationalisation of the conflict. Different states and non-State actors in the region have continued to support militarily their respective protégés and allies among Syrian belligerents, contributing to the constant escalation of armed confrontations. Many have increasingly engaged in mobilising, training, and equipping as well as financing Syrian or foreign fighters engaged on all sides. 14. Even while searching for a political solution to the conflict, different influential international stakeholders have intensified their military and logistical support both to the Syrian Government and to the anti-Government armed groups in order to exert more military pressure on the opposing side and force it into the compromise considered as a prerequisite for any political process to succeed. While doing so, they have fed a brutal escalation of armed violence that has taken, and will continue to take, the lives of Syrian civilians. Government forces 15. Syrian Government forces, alongside their supporting local and foreign militia, have recently suffered a series of military setbacks. Except for consolidating their defensive positions around Damascus, Homs and coastal governorates, they have shown a declining ability and willingness to operate outside of these strategic areas. Their strategy, based on preserving footholds in every possible region of the country through reliance on extensive use of fire power and irregular forces, has proven to be unsustainable, both in terms of human and material resources. 16. Due to a shortage of manpower, Government forces have increasingly relied on pro-regime Syrian paramilitary and, more importantly, on foreign fighters who play a central role on the most critical battlegrounds. Government forces have also relied on ground and aerial bombardment in targeting rebel strongholds, causing extensive damage to these areas and scores of casualties among the rebels and their presumed popular base. Anti-Government armed groups 17. In recent weeks, anti-Government armed groups have achieved key tactical gains, pressuring the Syrian Government on several fronts. Their improved strategic planning and operational performance allowed them to capture the city of Idlib and win a series of strategic victories in Dara’a and Idlib governorates