HIGHLIGHTS
SARG, GoRF military offensive displaces up to 325,000 people in southern Syria, impedes humanitarian access
An estimated 1.5 million people remain in HTR areas of Syria, including 8,100 people in besieged locations
UN, SARC deliver humanitarian aid for 108,000 people in Ar Rastan for first time since SARG recapture in May
KEY DEVELOPMENTS
Between mid-June and early July, Syrian Arab Republic Government (SARG) and Government of the Russian Federation (GoRF) military operations against armed opposition groups (AOGs) in southern Syria displaced an estimated 280,000–325,000 people, primarily from southern Dar’a Governorate to Quneitra Governorate; approximately 235,000 people remained displaced as of July 11, the UN reports. From mid- to late June, conflict killed at least 214 people, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The UN has called on all parties to the conflict to protect civilians and civilian infrastructure and to ensure unhindered humanitarian access to conflict-affected populations.
In early June, a series of SARG and GoRF airstrikes resulted in at least 150 casualties and damaged or destroyed at least two health facilities in Idlib Governorate, the UN reports. In recent weeks, SARG aerial bombardments in southern Syria damaged or destroyed at least five hospitals and killed at least five health care workers in Dar’a, health organizations report. USAID/OFDA partner the UN World Health Organization (WHO) has recorded nearly 700 attacks affecting health care facilities in Syria since 2014, including more than 110 attacks to date in 2018.
Between late 2017 and mid-June, an estimated 188,000 people had returned to Dayr az Zawr Governorate and approximately 138,000 people had returned to Ar Raqqah city, the UN reports. Despite continued returns to Ar Raqqah, explosive hazard contamination remains a critical challenge to the expansion of humanitarian operations in the city, relief organizations report. In northeastern Syria, insecurity continues to undermine civilians’ already limited access to basic services, according to the REACH Initiative.