SNHR’s 1st Report on the Attacks on Civilians and Vital Facilities, and the Use of Prohibited Weapons Amid the Current Military Operations in Syria
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Press release: (Download the full report below)
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) today, Wednesday, December 4, 2024, released its first report on civilian deaths, attacks on vital civilian facilities, and the use of prohibited weapons in the context of the ongoing military operations in northern Syria. The report covers the period between November 27, 2024, and December 3, 2024.
The report highlights civilian casualties, including children and women, resulting from the bombardments and attacks carried out by the parties to the conflict and controlling forces during this period. The aim of this report is to shed light on the impact of these operations on the humanitarian situation and to document the harm suffered by civilians and the damage to vital facilities, as well as the use of internationally prohibited weapons.
Toll of civilian deaths and massacres
The report reveals that 149 civilians, including 35 children and 16 women, were killed in northwestern Syria at the hands of the parties to the conflict and controlling forces in this period. These deaths are distributed according to the perpetrator party as follows:
The Syrian regime was responsible for killing 105 civilians, including 33 children and 13 women, which accounts for about 70 percent of all deaths recorded, highlighting the volume of violations committed by the regime. Forty-four percent of those killed by the regime were children and women. Meanwhile, Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) killed 27 civilians, while Russian forces were responsible for the deaths of eight victims, including two children and two women. The factions involved in the Deter Aggression Operation (Military Operations Command) were responsible for the deaths of five of the victims, including one woman. Lastly, four civilians were killed by unidentified parties. The report also documents seven massacres, all of which were perpetrated by Syrian regime forces during this period in the governorates of Aleppo and Idlib.
Attacks on vital facilities
The report further notes that 30 vital facilities were targeted by regime forces, including schools, universities, hospitals, and camps, while at least five vital facilities were attacked by Russian forces, including medical facilities and a water station.
Use of prohibited weapons
As the report further reveals, Syrian regime forces again used internationally prohibited cluster munitions, which resulted in the killing of a child in the Wadi Abbas Camps near Babsqa in northern rural Idlib. On the same day, Syrian regime forces used a rocket launcher to fire multiple rockets carrying highly explosive anti-personnel cluster bomblets in Darat Ezza city and al-Atareb city in western rural Aleppo, which resulted in civilian injuries. On November 29, 2024, the report adds, one civilian was killed and another injured in Idlib city by regime forces using a rocket launcher to fire rockets carrying incendiary submunitions on the city.
Barrel bombs used again
Syrian regime helicopters dropped at least 10 barrel bombs on areas in the governorates of Idlib and Hama between November 29, 2024, and December 3, 2024. The report stresses that this was the first time that the Syrian regime has been documented using these devastating weapons in over four-and-a-half years, with the last previous documented use of barrel bombs dating back to February 2020 according to SNHR’s database.
Most notable findings
The report notes that civilians in northern Syria still face intensified violence and massacres due to the ongoing military operations, including indiscriminate bombardment and targeting of vital facilities. Furthermore, the Syrian regime continues to use prohibited weapons. In addition to all these points, SNHR has also documented other blatant violations by the Syrian regime and its Russian ally, including non-compliance with UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254, which call for ending indiscriminate attacks. Gross violations of international humanitarian law, which oblige conflicting parties to distinguish between civilians and combatants, were also documented.
Recommendations to protect civilians
The report calls on the international community and the UN to intensify international efforts to achieve a political solution in line with UN Security Council resolution 2254, and to use all available means to ensure that Syrian regime, Russian forces, and opposition factions comply with international humanitarian law. The report also calls on the international community and the UN to provide all the necessary support to organizations operating in conflict zones in order to ensure the continuation of essential services such as medical care, education, and relief efforts, as well as making a number of additional recommendations.