The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights

Fighting rages between the regime forces and fighters of the factions in the northern countryside of Homs after a state of calm prevailed the area

Homs Province – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights: the military operations returned to be carried out in the northern countryside of Homs, where clashes took place in the outskirts of Al-Houla, between the regime forces and gunmen loyal to them against fighters of the rebel and Islamic factions, amid exchange of targeting, but no information about casualties was reported, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published yesterday that a state of calm prevails in the northern countryside of Homs since the night of Wednesday, the 17th of January 2018 until now, where the regime forces breached again the agreement reached on the 27th of September 2017, between representatives of areas in the northern Homs countryside and representatives of the regime with Russian mediation, where the regime forces fired shells and opened fire of their heavy machine guns at places in the area of Al-Hula,  by the Russian, targeting by missiles and heavy machinegun ships in the area of ​​Hula, while the Syrian Observatory published on the 16th of January, 2018 that 4 fighters at least of al-Rastan area’s factions were killed in targeting by the regime forces, and in clashes between both parties in the vicinity of the city, which is located in the northern countryside of Homs on the 16th of January 2018.

 

It is noteworthy that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 1st of November 2017 that  the cities, the towns and the villages of the northern countryside of Homs are still witnessing violations to the agreement that was signed on the 27th of September 2017, between representatives of areas in the northern countryside of Homs and representatives of the regime’s authorities with a Russian mediation, in which activists in the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitored that the regime forces is continuing to target areas in the north countryside of Homs daily by shells, in conjunction with clashes that almost take place daily in the areas of Al-Mahatta and Snesil, in addition to the fall of shells on the controlled areas of the regime forces in the northern countryside, these continuous targeting and shelling accompanied by clashes left civilian casualties as well as human losses in the ranks of the fighting parties, while the controlled areas of the regime forces witnessed targeting by the fighters of the factions, which also left material damage and casualties, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published on the 27th of September 2017, that it was reached a new agreement between representatives of areas in the northern countryside of Homs and representatives of the regime’s authorities with a Russian mediation, and cross-sources confirmed that the agreement took place after a meeting between these parties in the controlled areas of the regime forces, and included the agreement which stipulates a complete cessation of hostilities, escalation and shelling on 25 village and towns in the northern countryside of Homs, while information obtained about the continuation of the negotiations in order to add more areas of the northern countryside.

 

And the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published previously that the Russian – Egyptian truce which was applied in the northern countryside of Homs and which started on the 3rd of August 2107, broke down on Friday the 10th of August 2017, and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights published then that a number of reliable sources confirmed to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights that the truce of the northern countryside of Homs broke down because of the escalation of the violent shelling on areas there, after completing the first week of its implementation in areas in the northern countryside of Homs, where there was conflicting information about the reasons for collapsing the Russian – Egyptian truce to “decrease the level of tension and the military operations in the northern countryside of Homs”, in which parties accused the regime forces that they didn’t conform the agreement of ceasefire in the northern countryside of Homs, while other parties said that this agreement didn’t respond their demands.