A man, identified as 51-year-old Hmoud Iyas al-Aaqel, was killed on January 4, 2024, in an airstrike by parties we have not yet been able to conclusively identify, but suspect to have been the Jordanian Air Force, which targeted a water well between his home village of Um al-Rumman and the Syrian-Jordanian border in southern Suwayda governorate. The airstrike was carried out in tandem with another one targeting al-Sh’ab village in southwestern rural Suwayda governorate.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that Hmoud was a civilian who worked as a guard for the well, and who had never been involved in any military activities.
SNHR is still trying to locate eyewitnesses to obtain more information about the incident.
We call on the controlling forces to uphold their responsibilities for protecting civilians in their areas, to investigate this incident, and to make the investigation’s findings known to the public. Syria will never have true stability without a genuine political transition process towards democracy within a fixed timetable.
