Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4631

Incident date

November 26, 2023

Location

كتيان, Kitian, eastern countryside of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

During the morning of Sunday, November 26, 2023, a guided missile allegedly fired by Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military and/or the Iranian military hit a car parked in front of a civilian house, injuring a woman and a child from the same family, in Kitian, in the eastern countryside of Idlib, Syria. Several sources claimed that the belligerent used a Kornet missile – a Russian man-portable anti-tank guided missile (ATGM).

According to the Syrian Civil Defence (SCD) which first reported the incident at 11:40 AM, the two injured civilians were a grandmother and her grandson. Two sources who reported on the incident only mentioned the injuries to the woman.

While the majority of sources reported that the car was a “civilian car” parked in front of a “civilian house,” one source, Twitter/X account of the media outlet Idleb Online (@idleb_online) alleged that the car belonged to the “terrorist organization “Al-Nusra Front” and was deliberately destroyed by the air defense units of the Syrian regime forces. However, this information was not corroborated by other sources.

Photos and videos posted on Facebook and Twitter/X by the Syrian Civil Defence, @mzmgr941 and other sources showed a car that had been severely burnt and extensive damage to a house. The SCD also shared a video showing rubble in front of the house, cracks in the house’s wall, and traces of blood on the steps leading into the house.

The Syrian Civil Defence and at least three other sources identified the belligerents as Syrian regime forces, while other sources, including Facebook posts by Muhammad Hammoud Badr Al-Din and Muhammad Al-Adlabi, claimed the strike was linked to Russian and Iranian forces. Therefore, Airwars has graded both the Strike Status and the Civilian Harm Status of the incident as Contested.

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Iranian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Muhammad Al-Adlabi
  • Source: @idleb_online
  • Source: @idleb_online
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Iranian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iranian Military
  • Iranian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Iranian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (15) [ collapse]