Regime-controlled areas in October 2024 | 166 fat*alities in acts of violence…seven assa*ssinations and attacks…highest monthly toll of Israeli attacks with 45 aerial and ground strikes
SOHR renews its appeal to the international community to intensify its efforts to end the Syrian people’s suffering
Regime-controlled areas experienced scores of dramatic developments in October 2024, including an alarming escalation of violence, worsening living conditions, tightening security grip and ongoing arbitrary arrests.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has monitored and tracked all key developments in regime-controlled areas in the past month, which can be summarised in the following main points:
Acts of violence leave many casualties
In October 2024, regime-controlled areas experienced an alarming escalation of acts of violence that left many casualties, where SOHR documented the death of 166 people across areas controlled by the Syrian regime and affiliated militias; the deaths are as follows:
Civilian fatalities
68 civilians, including eight children and 13 women. Here are further details of the circumstances of these deaths:
- 25 civilians, including five women, were murdered.
- 25 civilians, including eight women and four children, were killed in Israeli strikes.
- Four civilians died under torture in regime prisons.
- Eight civilians, including two children, were killed by explosions of old ordnance.
- Two civilians, including a child, were killed in incidents of security disorder in Daraa.
- A civilian was killed by ISIS.
- Two civilians, including a child, were killed in indiscriminate gunfire.
- One civilian was killed by regime forces.
Non-civilian fatalities
-57 members of regime forces and their proxy militias:
- 12 killed by rebels and jihadists.
- 22 killed by ISIS.
- Eight killed in Israeli strikes.
- Seven killed in incidents of security disorder in Daraa province.
- Four assassinated by unknown gunmen.
- Two killed in bombardment of unknown origin.
- One killed by a landmine explosion.
- One killed in clashes with gunmen.
-29 Iranian-backed militiamen:
- 14 non-Syrian militiamen were killed in Israeli strikes.
- Five Syrian militiamen were killed in Israeli airstrikes.
- Two militiamen were assassinated.
- Two Syrian militiamen were killed by a landmine explosion.
- Two Syrian militiamen were killed in bombardment by US ground forces.
- One Syrian militiaman was killed in unknown airstrike.
- One Syrian militiaman was killed by SDF.
- One Syrian militiaman was killed by ISIS.
- One Syrian militiaman was killed by jihadists and rebels.
-Five gunmen:
- Three killed in incidents of security disorder in Daraa province.
- Two killed by regime forces.
-Three ISIS member were killed in Russian airstrikes.
-Two Russian soldiers were killed in bombardment of unknown origin.
-Two unidentified gunmen.
Kidnappings and arbitrary arrests
As regime security and intelligence services continue their repression, SOHR activists documented, in October, the arrest of at least 203 civilians, as well as the kidnapping of 26 other civilians, including a child.
A regional breakdown of arbitrary arrests is as follows:
- Daraa: 29 people.
- Damascus: 31 people.
- Rif Dimashq: 49 people.
- Homs: 24 people.
- Deir Ezzor: 30 people.
- Hama: 11 persons.
- Aleppo: 19 people.
- Latakia: Six people.
- Al-Suwaidaa: Four persons.
A regional breakdown of kidnaps is as follows:
- Daraa: Ten people.
- Homs: Eight people.
- Al-Suwaidaa: Three persons.
- Deir Ezzor: Three persons.
- Rif Dimashq: Two persons.
Crime rate is on the rise
Regime-held areas have recently experienced an alarming escalation of crime rate, in light of the regime security services’ failure to put an end to the state of disorder and rampant security chaos in all Syrian provinces.
The Syrian Observatory documented 20 murder crimes in regime-controlled areas in October 2024, where domestic violence and armed robbery were behind some of these murders, while motivations behind the others remained unknown. These murder crimes left 25 fatalities: five women and 20 men. The murder crimes and fatalities they left are distributed regionally as follows:
- Daraa: Six murder crimes left six men dead.
- Al-Suwaidaa: Two murder crimes left three men dead.
- Rif Dimashq: Two murder crimes left two men dead.
- Al-Quneitra: One murder crime left a woman dead.
- Aleppo: Two murder crimes left two men dead.
- Latakia: Two murder crimes left a man and a woman dead.
- Deir Ezzor: Two murder crimes left three men and three women dead.
- Tartus: One murder crime left a man dead.
- Damascus: One murder crime left a man dead.
- Homs: One murder crime left a man dead.
Daraa “the cradle of the Syrian Revolution:” Security chaos noticeably escalates
Incidents of security disorder, mainly armed attacks, in Daraa province continued in October 2024, where SOHR documented 26 attacks in different areas throughout Daraa province. These attacks left 12 people dead; they are as follows:
- Two civilians, including a child.
- Four regime soldiers, members and collaborators with regime security services.
- Two persons accused of “involving in drug business.”
- A member of the Russian-backed 8th
- Three members of local factions.
Eight infightings and assassinations and attacks target combatants
In October, SOHR documented one infighting and seven assassinations and attacks which targeted members of regime forces and security services in Al-Suwaidaa, Rif Dimashq, Deir Ezzor and Aleppo provinces. Those attacks left seven persons, including a regime officer and an Iraqi militiaman of the Iraqi Popular Mobilization Forces, dead and others injured.
Ongoing uprising in Al-Swuaidaa
As residents from Jabal Al-Arab area continue their peaceful protests in Al-Suwaidaa, calling for toppling Bashar Al-Assad, applying political transition of power, enhancing the concept of the decentralization and implementing the International Resolution No. 2254, peaceful demonstrations staged in Al-Suwaidaa city centre on a daily basis in October.
During those protests, demonstrators chanted anti-regime slogans and lifted placards with slogans written on them, some of which read “to authority for external parties,” “down goes a regime of a country, the residents of which dream of leaving it” and “write whatever you want you will be removed anyway.”
Ongoing Israeli attacks
As Israel continues infringing upon Syria’s sovereignty, SOHR documented 45 attacks in October: 36 airstrikes and nine rocket attacks by ground forces. Those attacks destroyed nearly 70 targets, including buildings, weapons and ammunitions warehouses, headquarters, centres and vehicles, killed 27 combatants and injured 29 others. The fatalities are distributed as follows:
- 11 members of the Lebanese Hezbollah.
- Five Iranian-backed Syrian militiamen.
- Two Iranian-backed non-Syrian militiamen.
- Eight regime soldiers.
- An advisor of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps.
In addition, the Israeli attacks in October resulted in the death of 25 civilians, including seven women and four children.
The Israeli attacks in Syrian territory in October are distributed regionally as follows:
- Damascus and Rif Dimashq: 12 attacks.
- Homs: 22 attacks.
- Hama: Two attacks.
- Al-Quneitra: Eight attacks.
- Al-Suwaidaa: Two attacks.
- Latakia: Two attacks.
- Daraa: One attack.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has been all along warning against the repercussions of the crippling chronic crises and security chaos in regime-controlled areas and elsewhere in Syria, with only the Syrian regime to blame for the disastrous situation Syria is in right now. We, at the Syrian Observatory, call upon all international actors not to abandon their responsibility and obligations towards the people of Syria and urge them to find a lasting solution to the tragedy of millions of Syrians and bring Al-Assad, his affiliates and all those responsible for violations and those who aided and abetted the killing of Syrian people to justice.