Syrian regime artillery forces fired shells at Balshoun village in Jabal al Zaweya in the southern suburbs of Idlib governorate, with one shell falling in the center of the Martyr Abdullah Bazar School’s playground, partially destroying the playground and damaging its fence on November 24, 2020. SNHR can confirm that the school is a civilian facility in a civilian area and is free of any military presence or equipment.
Through this action, the Syrian regime has, without doubt, committed another violation of Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254, which prohibited any further indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law which stress the distinction between civilians and combatants. Such attacks spread panic and terror among civilians, leading them to flee their lands and homes seeking safety, and forcibly displacing them, with the number of internally displaced persons in Syria currently estimated at approximately 6.5 million Syrian citizens. The international community should put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to compensate the displaced victims, rehabilitate homes and vital centers, support the process of political transition and put pressure on all parties to implement the political transition process according to a strict timetable which must not exceed six months, which would enable millions of IDPs to return homes.
