On February 21, 2024, Syrian regime artillery forces fired two shells at the al-Sharqi neighborhood in al-Bara village in the Jabal al-Zawiya area of southern rural Idlib governorate. One of the shells hit a house, located about 50 meters from the Hassan Medwar School for Elementary Education. injuring a woman and partially destroying the house. 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 the school consists of a number of buildings, only one of which is currently operative. The attack took place after school hours, with no damage to the school recorded.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) notes that through this attack, 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 ensured a safe and stable return.
