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The Hague – Syrian Network for Human Rights
Since November 27, 2024, the situation across Syria has been developing rapidly. Armed opposition factions, in partnership with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), have managed to take control of vast areas as part of the military operation codenamed Deter Aggression, which is still going on as of this writing. On November 30, 2024, the Syrian National Army (SNA) launched a separate military operation codenamed Dawn of Freedom, focusing on areas in eastern rural Aleppo which have been under the control of Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) and the Syrian regime.
The Military Operations Command, which is the command center running Deter Aggression, has so far stated that it managed to take over Aleppo city, Hama city, and large swathes of the rural areas of the governorates of Idlib and Hama, as well as northern rural Homs governorate. Meanwhile, the SNA has taken over wide areas of eastern rural Aleppo. Moreover, the South Operations Room (composed by a number of armed opposition factions in Daraa governorate) has revealed that they managed to take control of Daraa city and large swathes of Daraa’s rural areas. Similarly, armed factions and local groups have taken control of wide areas in Suwayda governorate.
These developments have placed the responsibility upon these controlling forces of managing regions with large populations, which include pro-regime individuals.
Over the past 13 years, the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has released hundreds of reports emphasizing the importance of respecting international humanitarian law and customary international law, focusing on the distinction between civilians and combatants and ensuring civilian protection. This statement provides a number of principal recommendations to the controlling forces to ensure adherence to these principles amidst the current developments.
