Press Release
Syrian Opposition Coalition
Department of Media and Communications
September 30, 2024
The Syrian Opposition Coalition (SOC) condemns the sectarian practices and violations that carry messages of hatred and incitement against civilians residing in the regime-held areas under the control of the regime, its supporters, and sectarian militias in Syria. These violations are carried out by sectarian terrorist militias affiliated with the Iranian regime, consisting of members from various nationalities, in Syria’s Homs province. These militias gathered, raised their flags—flags associated with militias that have committed war crimes against Syrians and displaced thousands over the years—and chanted sectarian slogans while engaging in acts of vandalism following the recent events in Lebanon.
The SOC affirms that these provocations and violations jeopardize the security and safety of civilians and incite violence against them in areas under the control of the regime and the Iranian-backed sectarian terrorist militias. This also reinforces the regime’s policy of tyranny and repression against civilians, fully supported by the Iranian regime.
The SOC holds the Assad and Iranian regimes responsible for the violations and crimes committed against Syrians both in Syria and Lebanon. The primary responsibility lies with the Assad regime, which not only usurped but also compromised the Syrian people’s sovereignty over their own land. It facilitated the presence of these sectarian terrorist militias. At the same time, it prevents Syrians from returning to their homeland by persecuting and imprisoning returnees on various charges. The SOC also warns against the continuation of the Assad regime’s demographic change policies in Syria by resettling more families of foreign, sectarian, and terrorist militias in the homes of displaced persons and refugees, who are denied the right to return.
The SOC notes that Syrian refugees in Lebanon, as well as residents in areas controlled by the Assad regime and its partner, the Lebanese Hezbollah’s sectarian terrorist militia, are at great risk of retaliatory acts by these militias due to events in which they have no involvement. This risk is heightened by the inflammatory rhetoric and incitement to violence against Syrian refugees in Lebanon and civilians residing in Syria, propagated by public figures from various nationalities known for their loyalty to the Iranian regime’s projects on social media platforms.
The SOC strongly condemns the targeting of innocent civilians and public civil infrastructure in Lebanon, Syria, and any other country. It calls on the international community and influential nations to take effective measures to support the Lebanese government in fulfilling its obligations to protect civilians, including refugees, and to provide a safe environment for them. Furthermore, the SOC urges the United Nations Security Council to take appropriate decisions and actions to neutralize civilians, their residential areas, and public civil facilities from any military activities, ensuring their safety and security. It also demands the cessation of the regime’s and its militias’ sectarian incitement against Syrian civilians inside Syria.
The SOC stresses that these recurring crises are deliberately instigated by the Iranian regime through its proxies and partners to destabilize the region’s security and stability for decades. As a result, millions of innocent civilians have lost their lives, and large-scale forced displacement has occurred, fostering an environment ripe for extremism and the emergence of more cross-border terrorist militias as tools to serve Iran’s agendas and extend its influence in the region. This spread of chaos across neighboring countries, and sowing of division, keeps the conflict away from Iranian soil. These actions have led to the loss of resources that could have been invested in development, security, peace, and fostering normal relations between the region’s countries and peoples. The continuation of these regional wars, chaos, and destructive policies stems from the international community’s leniency towards Iranian regime policies and the lack of decisive action to enforce UN resolutions, including those related to the political solution in Syria. The SOC reiterates the need for a safe, stable, and democratic Syria through the implementation of UN Security Council Resolutions, especially Resolution 2254 (2015) and Resolution 2118 (2013).
