(Previous Incident Code: R4643)

Shortly before 3 PM on Sunday, December 24, 2023, during school hours, Russian forces and/or the Syrian regime and/or Iranian forces allegedly struck an elementary school in the village of Ain Larouz in southern Idlib with artillery and missiles. One child was “lightly” injured.

At 2:52 PM, Twitter/X user @anasanas84 shared a video showing the sounds of explosions and clouds of smoke rising on the horizon with a capture “Artillery and missile bombardment targeting the village of Ain Larouz and the outskirts of the town of Billion in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of Idlib.”

Writing on X, the Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, and the Free Syrian Channel wrote that the bombing also struck residential neighbourhoods near the school, as well as the towns neighboring Ain Larouz.

Halab Today TV and another source reported that the attack led to a state of terror and panic among the pupils. Muhammad Abu Alhuda Alhomsi (@aboalhodaalhoms) and other Twitter/X users shared a video of two teachers in the affected school rushing small schoolchildren to the exit.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible, with the majority of sources including the Syrian Civil Defense attributing the shelling to the Syrian regime. At the same time, a tweet from @FreeSyrianchann blamed Russian and Iranian forces. Therefore, Airwars has graded both Strike Status and Civilian Harm Status of the incident as Contested.