The past few days have brought severe changes to the crisis in Syria, now officially recognized as a civil war as the death toll continues to climb.
On July 15th, the International Committee of the Red Cross declared that the fighting in Syria is so extreme and widespread that it constitutes civil war, a decision with significant meaning and consequences as, according to the BBC, “combatants will now be officially subject to the Geneva Conventions, leaving them more exposed to war crimes prosecutions…Under the Geneva Conventions, indiscriminate attacks on civilians, attacks on medical personnel or the destruction of basic services like water or electricity are forbidden and can be prosecuted as war crimes.” This means that those fighting in Syria who violate the rules and terms of war could face serious consequences, which is an important step.
This decision was reached in the aftermath of an attack on a small village that the New York Times says “left scores dead and drew sharp international condemnation.”
According to a spokesman for the Syrian Foreign Ministry, the violence was a military operation against armed rebels and that “the rapid international condemnation of the attack was premature,” but this justification was not enough to deter the Red Cross from its declaration.
More momentous news on the situation broke today: a bomb in Damascus, the Syrian capital, killed two of Syria’s top security officials. The Los Angeles Times reports, “the blast, an audacious strike at the heart of the government, killed Defense Minister Dawoud Rajhah and Gen. Asef Shawkat, the deputy defense minister.” The official Syrian news service has reported that President Bashar Assad has replaced the men with General Fahd Jassem Freij.
To learn more about what is happening in Syria and to get the latest news updates on the crisis, read here, and please feel free to share your thoughts and discuss the situation below.Â
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