On October 26, 2023, Syrian regime artillery forces fired multiple shells at a number of neighborhoods in Idlib city, including the Wadi al-Nasim neighborhood in the city’s south and an area near the al-Tawhid Mosque in the southeast of the city. The bombardment killed three civilians, two of them children, and injured another one. The area is under the control of armed opposition factions and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that through these attacks, Syrian regime forces have again unequivocally violated 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, to drive them from their lands and homes, and to 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 support a process of political transition. Pressure should be placed on the Syrian regime and its allies compel them to launch such a transition within a period of no more than six months, so that millions of displaced people can return homes in a safe and stable manner.
