On December 31, 2023, Syrian regime forces used a rocket launcher to fire multiple rockets at various neighborhoods of Idlib city, as well as targeting different vital facilities in the city, including Iz bin Abdul Salam School, Abu Zar al-Ghafari Mosque, the Civil Status Department, and al-Thawra Health Center. Four civilians, including two women and a girl, were wounded in the attack. The city 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 this attack, regime forces have again 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, to drive them from their lands and homes, and to forcibly displace them. An estimated 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 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 have a safe and stable return.
