Nearly 500 civilians have been killed in the bombardment on Idlib province since April 28, with more than 440,000 people having been displaced, according to Farhan Haq, deputy spokesperson for UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres.
“Our humanitarian colleagues remain deeply concerned for the safety and protection of civilians in northwest Syria, where some three million women, children, and men remain caught in the cross fire,” Haq told reporters in New York at the daily news briefing on Monday.
“The UN reminds all parties to the conflict, and those who have influence over them, of their obligation to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure, and of the principles of distinction and proportionality enshrined in International Humanitarian Law,” said Haq.
The succession of airstrikes and shelling on densely populated urban areas controlled by armed rebel groups killed at least 35 people this weekend, including three health workers.
The shelling has extensively damaged residential areas and civilian infrastructure, including seven schools, a health clinic, a market, and a bakery. It also affected urban areas in government-controlled zones, Haq reported.
More than 100 civilians were killed in the past 10 days as a result of airstrikes by the Assad regime and Russian forces on northwestern Syria, the United Nations human rights official said.
“As a result of airstrikes over the past 10 days alone, eight locations in Idlib and two in rural Aleppo have witnessed civilian casualties, resulting in at least 103 civilian deaths, including some 26 children,” said Michelle Bachelet, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights in a statement on Friday.
The Syrian Coalition on Thursday said that the international community is to blame for the continuing crimes against the Syrian people. “The victims of these attacks are not only victims of the Assad regime and its allies, but also victims of the international community’s inaction and indifference. (Source: Syrian Coalition’s Media Department)
