On December 9, 2023, Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) used a rocket launcher to fire multiple shells at the towns of Nebbel and al-Zahra in western rural Aleppo governorate, killing two women and a child, and injuring 22 other civilians. This attack was launched in retaliation to a regime rocket launcher attack that targeted Idlib city and Sarmin town, killing nine civilians and injuring dozens of others. HTS has claimed responsibility for the attack on its official channels.
The area where the HTS attack took place is under the control of Syrian regime forces and pro-regime militias. The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that, through these killings, HTS has 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.
