The Syrian Civil Defense organization, widely known as the White Helmets, has released a detailed report on Tuesday’s deadly artillery assault by Assad regime forces on an educational center in Ariha, Idlib province. The attack killed three children and injured 14 civilians, most of them children, in what the group described as “a new bloody crime” targeting residential neighborhoods and schools.
The attack hit an institute for Islamic sciences, an Arabic language center, and an elementary school in Ariha, marking another grim chapter in the ongoing violence in liberated northern Syria. The White Helmets teams responded by transferring the bodies of the victims and evacuating the injured to local hospitals.
“This tragedy underscores the dire reality for civilians in northwestern Syria, where children and families remain constant targets of artillery shelling, missiles, and other deadly weapons,” the report stated.
In addition to the Ariha attack, the White Helmets documented other assaults across liberated northern Syria. In Maarat al-Naasan, also in Idlib province, artillery shelling injured a child and a man. The victims were taken to hospitals for treatment. Similarly, a missile strike launched from areas jointly controlled by Assad regime forces and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) hit a residential house in the village of Al-Hamran, east of Aleppo, injuring a man.
These incidents come amid a broader escalation in violence. The White Helmets report highlighted that their teams have responded to over 876 attacks by Assad regime forces, Russia, and their allies since the beginning of 2024. These attacks have resulted in the deaths of 80 civilians, including 19 children and 9 women, and injured 372 others, including 137 children and 47 women.
Tuesday’s assault in Ariha followed another deadly attack earlier this week. On Sunday, missiles targeting the city of Al-Bab in eastern Aleppo killed two civilians and injured 14 others, including five children and three women. The missiles were also launched from areas under joint control of Assad regime forces and the SDF, according to the report.
Civilians in liberated northern Syria continue to endure relentless targeting of residential neighborhoods, schools, and critical infrastructure. “These attacks undermine the lives of civilians and perpetually threaten their safety,” the report stated, emphasizing the devastating impact on families already grappling with severe humanitarian needs.
The White Helmets noted that the intensifying violence coincides with a deepening humanitarian crisis in the region. Displacement, food insecurity, and limited access to medical care have left millions in liberated areas of northern Syria vulnerable to both violence and neglect.
“The international community’s failure to hold the Assad regime and Russia accountable for their crimes has allowed the continued targeting of civilians,” the report concluded, calling for stronger international measures to protect Syrians and bring perpetrators to justice. For now, the residents of Ariha and other liberated areas face an uncertain future, bracing for further attacks as a harsh winter looms and the humanitarian gap widens.
