Syrian civil society groups and activists called upon the United Nations and the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to protect Syrian civilians trapped in western Qalamoun, especially those living in IDP camps. They said that residents of these camps had to flee to escape constant artillery bombardment by the Hezbollah Militia on the area.
Syrian civil society groups and activists stressed the need to “put pressure on the Lebanese government to allow those trapped in western Qalamoun entry to the town of Arsal or to evacuate them through safe corridors,” the AKI news agency reported.
Thousands of internally displaced people fleeing the bombardment have flocked towards the mountains and valleys adjacent to the Syrian-Lebanese border, AKI news agency reported. They now live in the open without access to food and drink or any of the basic requirements of life after the routes leading to the border town of Arsal have been all closed down, AKI added.
The Hezbollah Militia targeted IDPs camps in western Qalamoun with artillery and rockets, especially the IDPs camp in the Wadi Hameed valley where around 12,000 IDPs live.
The Syrian Coalition said that the Hezbollah militias violated all international and Lebanese norms and conventions by killing Syrians in their home country alongside the Assad regime over the past years.
On Thursday, US lawmakers introduced legislation seeking to increase sanctions on Hezbollah, accusing the group of violence in Syria and amassing rockets in southern Lebanon.
The bill seeks to further restrict Hezbollah’s ability to fundraise and recruit, increase pressure on banks that do business with it and crack down on countries, including Iran, a key supporter of Hezbollah.
The bill would also bar anyone found to be supporting the group from entering the United States. It targets all individuals directly or indirectly associated with Hezbollah and those who are found to support it.
Moreover, the bill called on the US administration to prepare a list of Hezbollah’s sources of funding, including smuggling activities, Iranian aid, and proceeds from charities, calling also for preparing a report on the wealth of the party’s leadership. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department + Agencies)
