The village of Bara, located near the front line in the Eriha district of Syria, is often the target of shelling (file photo).
The United Nations Commission of Inquiry on Syria warned in a new report released on Tuesday that fighting on multiple fronts of the Syria conflict has intensified, with the entire region gripped by fears of large-scale war.
Pinheiro, the chairman of the committee, said that the deep-rooted deadly dynamics have once again triggered a new wave of hostilities. In the Deir ez-Zor region of northeastern Syria, recent direct clashes between Kurdish-led Democratic Forces of Syria and Arab tribes, government forces, and Iran-backed militias have sparked deep-seated discontent in the region.
Regional conflicts have escalated
The Palestinian conflict has led to increased regional tensions that have led Israel to intensify airstrikes against Iran officials and Iran-backed militias across Syria, resulting in at least three civilian casualties, the report said.
Violence has intensified in northwestern Syria, with Syria government forces using illegal attacks such as cluster munitions in densely populated urban centers in the Idlib region, resulting in civilian casualties and disabilities.
According to the Commission's investigation, more than 150 civilians were killed or injured in the incident, half of them women and children. The vast majority of civilians have been killed in indiscriminate attacks by government forces, which may amount to war crimes. Russia airstrikes again caused civilian casualties in Idlib.
The report said that the Turk army carried out a number of operations against Syria Democratic Forces military targets in northeastern Syria.
Last winter, Turkey airstrikes on several medical buildings in Suvedia in Hasakah province and destroyed turbines at a power plant, affecting the ability of more than 1 million people to access water, fuel supplies and other basic services. The Commission found the airstrikes illegal and noted that the May airstrikes also attacked ambulances bearing protection signs, in violation of international humanitarian law.
Violence and human rights violations
The Commission said southern Syria remains plagued by violence and severe insecurity, including areas regained by the Government.
The Commission conducted a comprehensive investigation into the massacre that took place in Dara'a on 7 April, when 10 civilians, including two children, were brutally executed by pro-Government militias, mainly composed of former rebels of the so-called "reconciliation", who chanted the slogans of ISIL in Iraq and the Levant. Most of the victims were executed with knives or shots at close range, acts that could amount to war crimes such as murder and grave violations of personal dignity.
The Committee has reasonable grounds to believe that, despite the International Court of Justice ordering the State of Syria to cease torture last November, the Government of Syria continues to practise torture, including sexual and gender-based violence in some cases, and ill-treatment of persons in State custody.
Records indicate that there have been re-deaths among people in State custody. Syria authorities continue to obstruct families in their efforts to locate relatives arbitrarily detained, who are forced to pay bribes in exchange for information on the whereabouts of detainees and access or release.
The persistence of brutal detention practices throughout Syria reaffirms the continuing war crimes committed by all detained actors, as well as crimes against humanity while in State custody.
Ten years have passed since ISIL launched a brutal attack on Sinjar in 2014 and destroyed its Yazidi communities, and the Commission urges the self-government and the countries that support it to immediately identify and release all Yezidis detained in these camps and support them in their quest for justice for the atrocities they have survived.
The Commission warned that Syria is plunging into a deeper, worrying humanitarian crisis that threatens to spiral out of control.
Lack of funds
Only a quarter of humanitarian needs have been financed this year, while they have reached their highest level since the beginning of the conflict: 13 million Syrians face acute food insecurity and more than 650,000 children show signs of stunting due to acute malnutrition.
New protests erupted across the country due to economic collapse, subsidy cuts, and predatory behavior by local authorities.
