UN pushes for protection of protected sites in Syria in case of assault on rebels

GENEVA, Sept 13 (Reuters) - The United Nations has shared the GPS coordinates of 235 protected sites in the Syrian province of Idlib, including schools and hospitals, with the Russia, Turkey and U.S.-led coalition amid fears of an all-out military assault, a senior U.N. aid official said on Thursday.

Panos Moumtzis, U.N. regional humanitarian coordinator for the Syria crisis, also quoted a Russian official as telling a humanitarian task force in Geneva that "every effort to find a peaceful solution to the problem is being made at the moment".

The United Nations is working 24/7 to ensure assistance if an estimated 900,000 people flee the rebel-held area of 2.9 million, Moumtzis said. "In no way am I saying we are ready. What is important is that we are doing our maximum to ensure a level of readiness."