On Monday, the villages and towns of Jabal Al-Zawiya in southern rural Idlib saw a mass exodus of civilians, along with a smaller displacement movement from the towns of Sarmin and Afes in eastern Idlib. This displacement was a direct consequence of the intensified shelling by the regime and Russian forces that had begun several days prior. This shelling claimed the lives of three civilians, one of whom was an infant, while injuring 13 others.
The Syrian Civil Defense reported that many households remain trapped in the targeted region, unable to escape the relentless shelling. These families are compelled to remain in the area, forced to harvest their agricultural crops, which represent their sole source of livelihood.
The Civil Defense underscored that the escalating shelling by the Assad regime forces and PYD militia triggered a mass exodus of people from the villages and towns of Al-Halwanji, Hama, Al-Sabounieh, Al-Sweida, Al-Baldaq, Al-Mohsenli, Ghanma, and Al-Ghandoura in the Jarabulus region. In addition, residents fled from the villages of Al-Kreidieh and Al-Ajami in the Bezaa region, as well as from Al-Awlashli in the Al-Bab region in eastern rural Aleppo.
Rocket shelling by the Assad regime forces on Sarmin, this past Saturday, claimed the life of an infant and inflicted injuries on four others, including a child. The shelling also targeted the village of Afes in eastern Idlib, as well as the towns of Kansafra, Kafr Aweed, and the outskirts of the town of Balyoun, located to the south of Idlib.
A heartbreaking video released by the Syrian Civil Defense depicted a child in tears as he searched amidst the rubble of his destroyed home, which had been bombed by regime forces.
From the beginning of this year until August 27, civil defense teams responded to a staggering 491 attacks by the Assad regime and Russian forces, resulting in 55 fatalities, including nine children and five women, and 225 injuries, including 78 children and 32 women.
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) earlier expressed its deep concern and frustration regarding the ongoing international inaction with respect to accountability, trials, and the imperative need for political transition in Syria, as stipulated in UN Resolution 2254. The SOC cautioned that the Assad regime interprets this prolonged inaction as tacit approval for it and its allies to commit further atrocities and crimes.
The SOC urgently called for immediate international action to address these heinous crimes, condemn them unequivocally, and advocate for international collective action to provide justice for the victims and hold the perpetrators accountable in Syria. This appeal comes after over 12 years of continued crimes against the Syrian people, perpetrated by the Assad regime, Russia, and Iranian militias.
(Source: SOC’s Media Department)
