10 days following the failure of the truce … a bloody day in Homs city and its northern countryside leaves tens of civilian martyrs and injured

Homs experienced 24 bloody hours as a result of the escalated shelling on factions-controlled areas in the northern countryside of Homs and on the regime-controlled neighborhoods in the city. The SOHR documented the escalated shelling by the regime forces on Al-Houla area, Talbisa, Al-Zafarana town and other areas in the northern countryside of Homs. Shelling was accompanied by several raids carried out by warplanes on Al-Houla area. The neighborhoods of Homs city were also targeted with rocket shells. In addition, factions targeted the regime-controlled areas in Mrimin village and other areas in the northern countryside of Homs. The SOHR documented the death of 6 civilians at least, including two men, a boy and a woman who died as a result of shelling by the regime forces and warplanes on Al-Taybah and KafrLaha in Al-Houla area, Al-Zafarana town and Talbisa city along with two civilians who died when rocket shells hit areas in Homs city. Moreover, aerial and artillery shelling on Homs city and its northern countryside caused the injury of 45 others, some of whom are still in a critical condition. Thus, the death toll is still likely to rise.

In addition, the SOHR observed that calm is prevailing since dawn today, the 20th of August 2017. Such shelling came 10 days after the failure of the Russian-Egyptian truce in the northern countryside of Homs. The SOHR published earlier that the Russian-Egyptian truce in the northern countryside of Homs, which came into force on the 3rd of August 2017, came to failure on the 10th of August. The SOHR published then that several reliable sources confirmed to the Observatory that the truce of the northern countryside of Homs failed, one week after coming into effect, as a result of the escalated shelling on areas there. However, contradictory information was reported about the reasons behind its failure as the truce mainly aimed at “deescalating tensions and military operation in the northern countryside of Homs”. Some parties accused the regime forces of not abiding by the ceasefire agreement there, while others said that the parties to the negotiations believed that such an agreement did not fulfill their demands.