Two civilians, identified as 47-year-old Yousef Mohammad Saied Abdul Aziz and 60-year-old Mohammad Swelim al-Safi, were injured on February 15, 2024, in an attack by Syrian regime forces who used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), commonly known as a drone, to target a motorbike the men were riding between their home village of al-Daqmaq and the village of al-Mansoura in Sahl al-Ghab area in western rural Hama governorate. Both men are in good condition. 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 this attack, Syrian regime forces have again unequivocally violated UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 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 be assured of a safe and stable return to their homes.
