Three civilians, identified as Absi Mohammad Sami Balsha, his wife Ibtisam Suleiman, and their son Ahmad Balsha, were killed on August 5, 2023, in bombardment by fixed-wing warplanes believed to be Russian, which carried out four consecutive airstrikes, firing eight missiles in total. The airstrikes targeted the farm where the family had been living on Ein Sheib Road on the western outskirts of Idlib city. The attack also injured several civilians and caused heavy material damage.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that one floor of the farm had been commandeered by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
SNHR also notes that Abdul Aziz Natour, the head of the Violet Organization’s Idlib city aid team, was slightly wounded in the attack as he was part of the rescue efforts. Abdul Aziz is the head of the Violet Organization’s Idlib city aid team.
Through this and similar attacks, Russian forces have unequivocally violated UN Security Council resolutions 2139 & 2254, both of which categorically prohibit indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law on distinguishing between civilians and fighters. Such attacks aim solely to spread fear and panic among civilians, and to drive them from their lands and homes, and forcibly displace them. It is estimated that 6.5 million people are currently internally displaced in Syria.
The international community must put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to compensate the displaced victims, repair the damaged homes and civilian facilities, and support a process of political transition. Pressure should be applied on all parties to compel them to launch such a transition within a period of no more than six months, so that millions of displaced people can safely and stably return to their homes.
