On January 19, 2023, Syrian regimeartilleryforces stationed at the ?Jourien Campi western suburbs of Hama fired shells at a house in Qastoun town, Sahl al-Ghab in the western suburbs of Hama, injuring five civilians, most of them from the same family. Among the five civilians injured were three children.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights condemns Syrian regime forces’ bombardment operations targetingcivilian areas, with no distinction between civilian areas and military targets.

Through this attack, the Syrian regime has once again categorically violated UN Security Council resolutions 2139 and 2254 which prohibit any further indiscriminate attacks, as well as violating the rules of international humanitarian law which stress the distinction between civilians and combatants. Attacks of this nature spread terror and panic among civilians, leading them to flee their lands and homes in an attempt to reach safety, and forcibly displacing them, with the number of internally displaced persons within Syria currently standing at approximately 6.5 million Syrian citizens in total.

The international community should put pressure on the Syrian regime and its allies to force them to compensate the displaced victims, rehabilitate homes and vital centers, support the political transition process, and press all parties to pursue the implementation of a political transition according to a strict timetable which must not exceed six months, thus enabling millions of refugees and IDPs to return home.

Source: Syrian Network