A severe escalation of violence in Syria has led to the UN suspending its monitoring mission.
Peacekeeper Norwegian Major General Robert Mood said on Saturday that the risk to his observers was just too great and that there was a "lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful solution”, according to news agency AFP.
Paintings of the Syrian revolutionary flag are seen on an old Roman building near Idlib, Syria.
He said in a statement: “There has been an intensification of armed violence across Syria over the past 10 days.
"This escalation is limiting our ability to observe, verify, report as well as assist in local dialogue and stability projects - basically impeding our ability to carry out our mandate.
"The lack of willingness by the parties to seek a peaceful transition, and the push towards advancing military positions is increasing the losses on both sides: innocent civilians, men women and children are being killed every day.
"It is also posing significant risks to our observers.
"In this high risk situation, UNSMIS (United Nations Supervision Mission in Syria) is suspending its activities.”
The move led Foreign Secretary William Hague to call for urgent action, saying in a statement released on Saturday evening:
"This underlines the extent of the deterioration of security and stability in Syria, and calls into serious question the viability of the UN Mission.
"This worsening situation has been caused by the actions of the Assad regime. As Kofi Annan has said, the Syrian regime bears the primary responsibility for ending the violence and I condemn in the strongest terms its absolute failure to do so. I also call on the armed opposition in Syria to stop its violence."
Prime Minister David Cameron will discuss the deteriorating situation with world leaders at the G20 summit in Mexico next week, the government confirmed.
In response to the move Professor Fawaz Gerges from the London School of Economics told the BBC News: “It’s the official death of the Kofi Annan peace plan.”
Overnight, eight people were killed and dozens injured by heavy shelling in rural Damascus and Douma according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Last week United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-moon warned Syria is on the edge of full-scale civil war and UN envoy to the country Kofi Annan warned that "Syria is not Libya - it will not implode, it will explode, and explode beyond its borders".