Syrian regime artillery forces fired a mortar shell at the Saed Bin Abi Waqqas Mosque in Tareeq al Sadd neighborhood in Daraa city on August 6, 2021, with the shell hitting and severely damaging the mosque’s minaret. SNHR notes that the mosque, which was subjected to an attack on August 4 by the same forces, is in a residential area and free of any military presence or equipment.
SNHR notes that the Daraa al Balad area has been witnessing a military escalation by Syrian regime forces since July 27, 2021. As a result, a number of families have been displaced from the area, heading to safer districts in Daraa city for fear of regime bombardment and storming of the area.
Through this action, Syrian forces have, without doubt, committed another violation of Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254 which prohibit any further indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law which stress the distinction between civilians and combatants. Attacks of this nature spread terror and panic among civilians, leading them to flee their lands and homes in an attempt to reach safety, and forcibly displacing them, with the number of internally displaced persons within Syria currently standing at approximately 6.5 million Syrian citizens in total. The international community should put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to force them to compensate the displaced victims, rehabilitate homes and vital centers, support the process of political transition, and press all parties to pursue implementation of political transition according to a strict timetable which must not exceed six months, thus enabling millions of IDPs to return homes.
Video shows the moment that the Saed Bin Abi Waqqas Mosque’s minaret in Tareeq al Sadd neighborhood was hit by a mortar shell fired by Syrian regime forces on August 6, 2021