After more than a decade of brutal fighting, Commission Chairman Paulo Pinheiro said that The deadly force is unleashing a new wave of hostility.
“Recent direct fighting in northeastern Syria around Deir-ez-Zor between the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) on one side and Arab tribes, government forces and Iranian-backed militias on the other, evoked deep resentment among the people in this northeastern region of Syria.“, he said.
Regional tensions rise
The report links heightened regional tensions stemming from the war in Gaza, increased Israeli attacks on Iranian officials and Iran-backed forces across Syria, which have left at least three civilian casualties.
The Syrian commission said it was investigating the attacks and noted that Iran-linked groups had also targeted US bases in eastern Syria more than 100 times, prompting US counterattacks.
An alleged Israeli attack on a facility the West accuses of producing chemical weapons on Sunday killed at least 18 people, according to reports.
Cluster bomb
Based on the Commission’s investigations, the escalation of violence in northwestern Syria, including the use of cluster bombs by Syrian government forces in populated areas of Idlib, has killed or injured more than 150 civilians, half of whom were women and children. These attacks, along with Russian airstrikes that have caused civilian casualties, may amount to war crimes, the report said.
Another investigation was launched following a massacre in Dara’a by pro-government militias, in which 10 people were brutally executed with knives or guns, including two children. These attacks may constitute “war crimes of murder and violation of human dignity.”
“The events in Daraa bear the hallmarks of some of the most brutal acts committed in more than a decade of conflict in Syria,” said Commissioner Hanny Megally.
“Government forces stationed just metres away from the massacre failed to intervene and protect civilians, showing that Syria is sinking deeper into lawlessness.“ .
Torture
The report said the Commission believes that the Syrian government continues to torture people in State custody through sexual and gender-based violence – including other forms – despite International Court of Justice (International Court of Justice) to stop these behaviors.
Deaths in state custody have been documented, and Syrian authorities have hampered families’ efforts to locate arbitrarily detained loved ones, often demanding bribes for information or visits. In some cases, families only received official notice of a death after a decade-long delay, leaving them in limbo for a decade.
These detentions have confirmed ongoing war crimes by multiple parties and, in State custody, crimes against humanity.
Based on the findings of the report, the Commission said “Syria is falling deeper into an alarming humanitarian crisis risk of getting out of control.”
It was also noted that only a quarter of humanitarian needs for 2024 have been funded while 13,000 civilians face severe food insecurity and more than 650,000 children show signs of stunting due to severe malnutrition.
