A powerful earthquake struck central Syria late Monday night, shaking already devastated regions and intensifying fears among civilians in northern areas still reeling from the February and March 2023 earthquakes. The seism, measuring 5.5 on the Richter scale, was centered near Salamiyah, about 28 kilometers east of Hama, and was felt across several neighboring countries, including Turkey, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine.
The quake, which struck just before midnight, sent tremors through the fragile infrastructure of northern Syria, where years of war and repeated bombings by the Assad regime and Russian forces have left many buildings structurally unsound. Residents, haunted by memories of last year’s catastrophic earthquakes, rushed into the streets, fearing their homes would collapse. The quake followed a smaller 3.7 magnitude tremor earlier in the evening, compounding the sense of panic.
In liberated northern Syria, particularly in Idlib and surrounding areas, the situation was dire. These regions, which have borne the brunt of the Assad regime’s military campaigns, are littered with buildings weakened by over a decade of airstrikes and shelling. The previous earthquakes, which claimed thousands of lives, further compromised the safety of these structures, leaving many residents in constant fear of another disaster.
As rescue teams from the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, were mobilized to assess potential damage, reports emerged of escalation by Assad regime forces. Amid the chaos, regime forces targeted residential neighborhoods in Sarmin, a city east of Idlib, and the Sarmin-Idlib road, with artillery strikes. This attack occurred as civilians were evacuating their homes, terrified by the earthquake and seeking safety in the streets, and as first responders were rushing to assess damages.
The White Helmets condemned the bombings, stating that while there were no casualties, the strikes were a deliberate attempt to terrorize the population during a moment of vulnerability. Raed al-Saleh, Director of the Syrian Civil Defense, labeled the attack as a “crime and terrorism practiced by the [Assad] regime against the population,” highlighting the horror of targeting civilians in the midst of a natural disaster.
This tactic of attacking civilians during or immediately after natural disasters is not unprecedented. During last year’s devastating earthquakes, regime forces similarly targeted areas in northern Syria as residents fled their homes, exacerbating the humanitarian crisis and underscoring the regime’s disregard for civilian life.
Local sources reported that while the earthquake caused panic, the immediate physical damage appeared to be limited, with some reports of partial structural damage in the Salamiyah area. However, the psychological toll on the population is immeasurable, as each tremor serves as a grim reminder of their precarious living conditions.
In neighboring countries, the earthquake was also felt strongly, with residents in Turkey’s Hatay province, Lebanon, Jordan, and Palestine reporting the tremors. While no significant damage was reported outside of Syria, the earthquake’s wide reach highlights the region’s vulnerability to seismic activity.
