The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) said that it had recorded no fewer than 21 attacks on vital civilian centers in Syria in July.
In a new report published on Wednesday, the monitoring group said that the Assad regime was responsible for 52.38 percent of these attacks, while each of the hardline militant groups and the international anti-ISIS coalition forces were responsible for 4.76 percent. The Network said that 38.1 percent of these attacks were committed by “unknown parties.”
The Syrian Coalition earlier said that the Assad regime’s systematic targeting of vital civilian centers is aimed at putting increasing pressure on the population and force them to surrender and agree to so-called reconciliation deals. It stressed that these attacks are one of the litany of the Assad regime’s war crimes and crimes against humanity.
According to the report, the attacks targeted four infrastructure facilities, six places of worship, four medical centers, four educational centers, one residential block, one IDPs camp, and one cultural center.
The figure has brought to 474 the number of attacks on vital civilian centers in Syria since the beginning of 2018, according to the Network. It noted that the majority of these attacks took place in January and February, with 136 and 156 attacks taking place in these months respectively. The attacks coincided with the Assad regime’s large-scale military campaign on eastern Ghouta.
The Network concluded its report by calling on the UN Security Council to force the Assad regime and its Russian and Iranian allies to abide by Resolution 2139 and at the very least condemn the targeting of vital centers which are indispensable for the survival of civilians.
SNHR stressed the need to impose a comprehensive arms embargo on the Assad regime and expand the sanctions on the Assad regime to include Iran and Russia. It also called for referring Syria to the International Criminal Court to hold accountable those involved in the targeting of civilians. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)