Human rights report: The recent Idleb massacre is a direct Russian targeting of civilians and vital facilities
Russian forces committed a massacre by bombing a power station in the city of Idleb, killing 11 civilians, in addition to depriving thousands of civilians of water and electricity.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), in its report entitled, Russian Forces Commit a Massacre in Idleb, highlighted the escalation carried out by the Assad regime forces and Russia, targeting civilian facilities and areas in northwestern Syria.
The report confirmed that the northwestern region of Syria saw a violent escalation between October 14-16, 2024, as Russian forces conducted several airstrikes daily.
According to the SNHR’s report, 13 civilians were killed during the escalation, including 5 children, in addition to about 42 others being injured with varying degrees of severity. The attacks also caused significant destruction to homes and civilian facilities.
The report pointed out that the bombing attacks that targeted unarmed civilians are considered a violation to international human rights law, which protects the right to life, and considered that these attacks, which occurred in the context of a non-international armed conflict, and on a large scale, amount to war crimes.
The report made it clear that Assad regime forces and Russia explicitly violated UN Security Council Resolutions 2139 and 2254, which stipulate an end to indiscriminate attacks.
The report focused on two prominent incidents of Russian air strikes in Idleb. The first, which occurred on October 16, 2024, resulted in the killing of 11 civilians on the outskirts of Idleb city, and the second targeted a power station in the western Idleb countryside on October 15, and so deprived thousands of civilians of water and electricity.
The report held the Russian forces the full responsibility for the two incidents that occurred during the air escalation campaign in northwestern Syria, pointing out that the targeted areas were purely civilian and devoid of military targets.
