On Tuesday, November 28, Assad and Iranian-backed militias attacked civilians in the northern countryside of Idlib, Syria. The heinous crime by regime forces and Iranian-backed is the third such attack in the last two days. The Syria Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported that a family of four, including a man, his wife, and their two children, were injured, with two of them in critical condition, as a result of two missile strikes, the first on their car and the second on a poultry farm where they ran to seek refuge after the initial attack.
One of the White Helmets who arrived after the attack said, “The scene was very harsh today. When we arrived at the place targeted by the regime and its militias, between the villages of Zardana and Katyan, east of Idlib, we saw the child whose hand had been amputated. We treated him and his sister, who was also seriously injured due to being targeted by two guided missiles.”
The organization expressed deep sadness at the repeated deadly assaults on civilians by the regime and its militias, highlighting the lack of international accountability for these atrocities. The suffering inflicted upon innocent civilians, including children and the elderly, has been a recurring tragedy in the region, with the international community seemingly turning a blind eye to the actions of the Assad regime.
The Syrian Salvation Government (SSG) also condemned the attack, attributing it to the “criminal gangs of the Assad regime” and emphasizing the ongoing pattern of violence against civilians in the liberated north. The SSG detailed the specific circumstances of the attack, noting that it targeted a civilian car with a Kornet missile, resulting in the injury of four civilians from the same family, including a child who suffered an amputation and a girl in critical condition. The SSG statement further highlighted a recent bombing that wounded a child and her grandmother, as well as an attack on a media activist covering the aftermath of the bombing.
This tragic incident is part of a larger pattern of violence against civilians in the region, as evidenced by the recent massacre in the village of Qaqfin, where 11 individuals, including women and children, were murdered while harvesting olives. The continued targeting of civilians, particularly those residing in close proximity to conflict zones, underscores the urgent need for international intervention and accountability to prevent further loss of innocent lives.
