On December 25, 2023, fixed-wing warplanes believed to be Russian fired multiple missiles at one of the farmhouses in farms in the Alata area to the southeast of Armanaz town in western rural Idlib governorate. The attack resulted in a massacre, killing five members of the same family, all civilians, namely a man, his wife, and three of their children, and injuring another child from the same family. The bombardment also destroyed the farmhouse. 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 and similar attacks, Russian forces have 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, and to drive them from their lands and homes, and 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 compensate the displaced victims, repair the damaged homes and civilian facilities, and support a process of political transition. Pressure should be imposed 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 to their homes.
