Assad regime forces launched a series of attacks on residential neighborhoods in Idlib City and surrounding areas on August 18, Sunday evening, injuring two civilians and causing significant property damage, according to local sources.
The attacks, which occurred in northwestern Syria, targeted the northern neighborhood of Idlib City using rocket launchers, the sources said. One of the rockets struck a warehouse used by the Syrian Relief organization, injuring the guard and damaging stored relief materials.
In addition to the assault on Idlib City, regime forces bombed several other towns across the region. These included Al-Fatira and Kansafra in Jabal Al-Zawiya, Kafarama and Taqad west of Aleppo, Sheikh Sindyan and Al-Sarmayna in Hama’s countryside, and Kilz in the Latakia countryside.
Later that night, a civilian was injured in artillery shelling by regime forces targeting Kurin, a town in the southern countryside of Idlib. The attacks come amid an ongoing escalation in violence by Assad regime forces and their Russian and Iranian allies across the Idlib and Aleppo countryside.
On the same night, in a separate incident, five civilians were injured in a traffic accident trying to avoid artillery shelling by regime forces in the southern Idlib countryside. The White Helmets confirmed that one civilian was seriously injured in the collision, which involved two cars on the Al-Mastumah-Ariha road.
The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported that during the first half of this year, their teams responded to 392 attacks in northwestern Syria carried out by regime forces, Russia, and allied militias. These assaults included 293 artillery attacks, 27 rocket strikes, seven air raids by Russian warplanes, and three incidents involving incendiary weapons.
Additionally, the White Helmets documented around 120 attacks by suicide drones launched from Assad-controlled areas, specifically targeting civilian zones in northwestern Syria. These escalating attacks pose a significant threat to civilian life and livelihoods, potentially triggering a new wave of displacement in a region already suffering from a humanitarian crisis.
According to the White Helmets, the ongoing instability in Syria is due to repeated violations of international humanitarian law by the Assad regime and its allies which continue unabated. The organization has warned civilians in affected areas to remain vigilant, avoid gatherings, and take precautions to minimize the risk of being targeted in the ongoing conflict.
