(Previous Incident Code: R4738)

Shortly before 3 PM on Sunday, 1 December 2024, an airstrike with the alleged use of vacuum missiles struck a popular market in the Bustan Ghanoum neighbourhood in Idlib, Syria killing at least four civilians, including a woman and a child,  and injuring two children and at least one woman.  Sources reported that the attack was carried out either by Russian military forces or the Syrian regime. The airstrike hit the popular market in this neighborhood as well as al-Khamara and Andalusia streets.

Among the identified deceased victims were a woman, Bushra al-Shahana, a child, Hasan Azzam Karaoush, and two men, 27-year-old Osama bin Yahya Batous and 24-year-old Youssef bin Abdul Karim Al-Hajj Hamad. Two of the injured were identified as Hanin al-Shahana and Hayat al-Shahana both young girls.

Initial reports of the attack were shared by several Facebook users. Images and videos circulating online showed extensive damage to residential buildings, with streets covered in dust and rubble. In the evening, a post on X/Twitter by @SyriaCivilDefe also reported the attack. However, the death toll of 16 victims (including eight children and three women) and 59 injured (including 21 children and 19 women) referred to the general death and injury toll for al-Khamara, Al-Qusour, al-Harah, and al-Shamalia neighbourhoods of Idlib. The same post included footage of White Helmets rescuers digging through rubble at night, though it is not possible to determine whether the images were taken in al-Khamara.

Regarding the names and details of the al-Khamara victims, the Green City Obituaries Facebook page shared the identities of Youssef bin Abdul Karim Al-Hajj Hamad (24 years old) and Osama bin Yahya Batous (27 years old), along with pictures of both men. Facebook user Munir Mustafa Al-Muhammad commemorated Youssef bin Abdul Karim Al-Hajj Hamad, adding that he had been killed a month and eight days after his wedding. The post included a picture showing him in a beige suit and brown tie, dancing among a group of people, likely at his wedding. He was killed on Andalusia Street.

A Facebook user @AsharqNewsSYR wrote that Osama bin Yahya Batous had also been killed in Andalusia Street in al-Khamara neighborhood, and added an image of him. He was a young man with styled hair and a brown beard, dressed in a T-shirt with the inscription “Versace.”

The Facebook page “Lovers of Maarrat al-Numan” reported the deaths of Bushra al-Shahana (Umm Karam), wife of Asaad al-Shahana, and of Hassan Azzam Karaoush. The accompanying photo showed a young boy, Hassan, standing in front of a couch, presumably in his home. The names of the two injured children, Hanin and Hayat al-Shahana, were shared by X/Twitter user @SAGER120.

A video shared by @AsharqNewsSYR and other social media users showed the direct aftermath of the devastating strike on al-Hamara street. The author of the video was running along the street amidst debris and chunks of concrete. The destroyed facades of the buildings could be seen on both sides, along with two burnt cars. The visibility was not good because of dust and smoke after the explosions, and loud sirens were heard.

The images shared by the Facebook user Tarek Zakoor also showed the huge infrastructural damage left by the strike – the first floors of the buildings were destroyed, and a lot of debris and rubble were covering the street.

Videos were shared by the Syrian Civil Defence (@SyriaCivilDefe), also known as White Helmets, and @Syrianewsag on X (formerly Twitter), showing widespread destruction in the area, with smoke, rubble, and panic visible among civilians. The video showed its volunteers inspecting the neighborhood amidst the loud sirens, and a woman who was accompanied into an ambulance. She was asking about her relatives, but was reassured by the volunteers that they were fine.  A number of destroyed cars were seen along the street.

Another video shared by the White Helmets on Facebook showed the rescue of a young woman, 20 years old, from the rubble by a team of their volunteers. One of the volunteers heard a sound coming from the rubble and called the rest of the crew. They were reassuring the woman that they were coming to rescue her. In the post accompanying the video, the SCD attributed the responsibility for the strike to the Syrian regime forces. However, the source did not provide the information on whether she was injured.

Responsibility for this incident remains contested, with sources alternately attributing the strike to the Syrian regime and/or Russian military fixed-wing aircraft. According to Twitter/X user @estiklal_Maghrb, the Syrian regime allegedly used vacuum missiles.