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About the incident: Locations of the incident: Southeastern Aleppo countryside (Al-Safira), Eastern (Jibreen), and Western (Kafr Joum) Date: March 29, 2024 Time: 01:45 local Damascus time Victims: Up to 52 people were reportedly killed. The Syrian Archive was unable to verify the exact numbers, but cross-references with social media and accounts of victims' families confirm that at least 40 people were killed. Type of incident: Airstrike believed to have been carried out by warplanes. Weapon used: Unspecified. Possible responsible: Israeli Air Force. Introduction: At approximately 01:45 on March 29, 2024, three locations in the southeastern, eastern, and western countryside of Aleppo were subjected to airstrikes by warplanes attributed to the Israeli Air Force. The bombing lasted for more than two hours, according to news sources. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that Israeli airstrikes "targeted a weapons depot belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah in the Jabrin area near Aleppo International Airport. The bombing also targeted defense factories in Al-Safira, and explosions were heard in the Kafr Joum area west of Aleppo." A satellite image from Google Earth Pro shows the three impact sites in Al-Safira at coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844, Jabrin at coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987, and Kafr Joum at coordinates 36.105720, 37.000587 in the Aleppo countryside, taken by the Syrian Archive on June 30, 2024. The bombing reportedly killed between 38 and 52 people, allegedly including civilians, military personnel, and members of the Lebanese Hezbollah, in addition to damaging buildings within the impact sites. Since the fall of the Assad government on December 8, 2024, a number of sources that were archived and analyzed as part of this investigation have been deleted. The Syrian Archive has identified materials that are no longer available online but are preserved in our archives; if you would like to request access to archived materials, please email requests@syrianarchive.org. About the Impact Sites: The three impact sites are located in the Aleppo countryside and were under the control of Assad government forces until November 27, 2024. The first impact site is located in the city of Al-Safira, 25 kilometers southeast of Aleppo. According to the 2008 census, its population was approximately 100,000. Assad government forces took full control of Al-Safira on October 31, 2013. Al-Safira is considered a strategic city due to its proximity to defense factories. A Google Earth Pro screenshot of the distance between the first impact site in Al-Safira and the Defense Factories in the Aleppo countryside, taken and labeled by the Syrian Archive on June 30, 2024. The second impact site is located in the Jabrin area, east of Aleppo city, near the international airport and the Nayrab military airport, which is 10 kilometers from Aleppo city center and is surrounded by the industrial zone and the Aleppo train station. The impact site is 3.84 km from the Nayrab military airport. A Google Earth Pro screenshot of the distance between the second impact site 2-1 in Jabrin and the Nayrab military airport, taken and labeled by the Syrian Archive on July 3, 2024. The third impact site is located in the village of Kafr Joum, on the western side of the Aleppo-Damascus International Highway (M5). The village is considered the entrance to Aleppo city from the same direction, and the Administrative Affairs College, affiliated with the Syrian government forces until November 27, 2024, was located nearby. The forces regained control of Kafr Joum on February 13, 2020. A screenshot from Google Earth Pro shows the third impact sites near the Administrative Affairs College, west of the Aleppo-Damascus International Highway (M5), taken by the Syrian Archive and labeled on July 1, 2024. What happened and when? Information available online indicates that at 1:45 AM on Friday, March 29, 2024, several sites in the southeastern, eastern, and western countryside of Aleppo were subjected to airstrikes believed to have been launched by Israeli Air Force warplanes. News websites and activists claimed that the shelling and subsequent explosions lasted between two and three hours, resulting in casualties and destruction of the impact sites. An account on the X platform, in a tweet accompanied by a video, estimated the number of strikes at 15 airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force, claiming that they targeted targets linked to Iranian militias in Aleppo and destroyed what it described as "large" ammunition depots. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed in a report published on its website that the warehouses attacked belonged to the Lebanese Hezbollah, and that the bombing targeted three areas of influence: the defense factories area in Al-Safira, Jabrin near Aleppo International Airport, and the Kafr Joum area west of Aleppo. The first reports: The Syrian Archive was able to access via social media was a news item on the Al-Zahraa neighborhood news network in Aleppo (the post is no longer available, but has been archived) at 01:52 on March 29, 2024, which reported "hearing very loud sounds in Aleppo." A minute later, the SAM Syria News channel on Telegram reported loud explosions of "unknown causes" in Aleppo. A screenshot from the SAM Syria News channel on Telegram at 01:53 on March 29, 2024, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 3, 2024. At 02:00 on the same day, the SAM Syria News channel broadcast a video claiming to show "air defenses intercepting hostile targets in the skies around Aleppo International Airport." Another video published by the Aleppo Media channel (the account is now closed, but the materials related to the investigation have been archived) on Telegram under the title "Initial video of the aggression on Aleppo" at 02:09 on the same day showed what it claimed were footage of anti-aircraft missiles and the sounds of gunfire. Impact Site 1 - Al-Safira: The first reports of an impact site in Al-Safira were at 01:53, when a Facebook account posted news about "a bombing of defense factories in the Al-Safira area of Aleppo." This was followed, at 02:26, by a news report on the Aleppo Telegram channel claiming that Israeli raids had bombed defense factories in the Al-Safira area. Impact Site 2 - Jabreen: At 02:06 on March 29, 2023, Thiqa Agency reported on Telegram about Israeli airstrikes on sites it claimed belonged to Syrian government forces and Iranian militias in the Jabreen area in the eastern Aleppo countryside. This was followed, at 02:22, by a news report on the Urgent - Aleppo News channel on Telegram, about Israeli forces bombing the eastern side of the scientific research area, in addition to the Jabreen area near Aleppo airport. Screenshot from the Urgent Aleppo News channel on Telegram at 02:22 on March 29, 2024, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 3, 2024. Impact Site 3 - Kafr Joum: At 02:49 on the same day, the Syrian Arab Army News Network on Telegram (the account is now closed, but the material is archived) claimed that casualties had fallen in the Kafr Joum area as a result of Israeli shelling of the area. The official Syrian government news agency, SANA, quoted a military source in a statement setting the timing of the attack, which it claimed was launched by Israeli forces, at approximately 1:45 AM on March 29, 2024. The first video purportedly showing the attack on areas in Aleppo was broadcast by the Nasr Qadim Min Aleppo channel on Telegram at 2:08 AM, showing what it claimed was an anti-aircraft missile response to the attack. A video also was published by the Aleppo Media channel on Telegram (the account is now closed, but materials related to the investigation have been archived) at 2:46 AM, showing explosions, smoke, and fires from a location it claimed was in Aleppo. We were unable to accurately identify the location due to the lack of clear landmarks. Wassim Issa posted a video on his Telegram channel (the post is no longer available, but has been archived) at 3:17 AM, along with a news item, that spoke of Aleppo city and its countryside being subjected to what he described as the "most violent" attack in the areas surrounding the airport, the scientific research center, and the Al-Safira warehouses. In another video (the post is now unavailable, but has been archived) posted by the same channel, loud explosions are heard, and a person speaks of the explosions being caused by "the same warehouse," likely an ammunition depot in the Jabrin area. By combining the initial reports (the post is now unavailable, but has been archived) above with the military source's statement relayed by SANA, it is possible to determine the timing of the attack on the three areas between 1:45 and 2:49 (the account is now closed, but the materials related to the investigation have been archived), and that the bombing first targeted sites of influence in the city of Al-Safira, then Jabrin, and finally Kafr Joum (the account is now closed, but the materials related to the investigation have been archived). Geolocation: The Syrian Archive was able to identify three areas that were attacked based on comparing satellite imagery with photos, videos, and reports of the attacks. First Impact Location: Al-Safira in the southeastern countryside of Aleppo 35.982421, 37.390844 A video from the Sam Syria News channel on Telegram shows fires allegedly caused by Israeli airstrikes on the Al-Safira area in eastern Aleppo. The video shows no prominent landmarks that could confirm or deny the claim. Wassim Al-Issa identified the impact location in Al-Safira city on his Telegram channel (the post is no longer available, but has been archived) with warehouses that news websites and pages claimed were ammunition or weapons warehouses belonging to the Defense Factories (the post is no longer available, but has been archived) in Aleppo and controlled by Iranian militias. The Syrian Archive was unable to obtain images of the impact site in Al-Safira from available sources or identify the prominent landmarks in the videos by Sam Syria News and Wassim Al-Issa. However, a comparison of satellite images from Sentinel-Hub, covering the period from March 17 to 30, 2024, shows changes and destruction in warehouses likely located at the impact sites. Right: Sentinel-Hub satellite image from March 30, 2024. Left: Sentinel-Hub satellite image from March 17, 2024. Both images show changes in three impact sites in As-Safira at coordinates 35.982421 and 37.390844, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 4, 2024. The Google Earth image from May 27, 2024, shows complete destruction of two warehouses within the first impact site at coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844, and 35.983473 and 37.392542. A screenshot from Google Earth via Airbus on May 27, 2024, showing complete destruction of two warehouses within the first impact sites at coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844 and 35.983473, 37.392542 in As-Safira, taken by the Syrian Archive on September 17, 2024. Second Impact Location: In the Jabrin area 36.173254, 37.261987 A video posted on Facebook shows fires and smoke in an area we were unable to accurately identify due to the lack of clear landmarks. However, the videographer claims they are warehouses in the Jabrin area. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights posted a video on its Facebook page showing explosions and fires in a location it claims is a missile warehouse in the Jabrin area. Rami Abdel Rahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, also claimed in an interview with BBC that the impact location was ammunition warehouses allegedly belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah in the Jabrin area near Aleppo International Airport, and a training center for Assad government forces next to the warehouse. North Press claimed it was a training center supervised by Hezbollah. Pro-Syrian government media outlets also posted videos showing fires and explosions in Jabrin and claimed that the targeted location was a warehouse and a gas station (the account is now suspended, but materials related to the investigation have been archived). The Syrian Archive was unable to obtain images of the impact site in the Jabrin area through available sources or identify prominent landmarks in the videos. However, a comparison of satellite images from the Sentinel-Hub satellite for the period March 25-30, 2024, shows changes and destruction at two impact points, likely warehouses in the area. Animated images from sentinel-hub between March 25 and 30, 2024, showing changes in two impact sites in Jibreen at coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 4, 2024. A Google Earth image from May 27, 2024, shows complete destruction at the impact site at coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987. Two screenshots from Google Earth via Airbus from May 26, 2023, and May 27, 2024, show the complete destruction of the warehouse at the second impact site at coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987, taken by the Syrian Archive on September 17, 2024. A third impact site: Kafr Joum: 36.105720, 37.000587. A video on Facebook shows rubble being removed. A destroyed building, the exact location of which we were unable to determine, was allegedly the result of the attack on Kafr Joum. The Sam Syria News channel on Telegram also published several night videos showing a group of people and vehicles during the first response in a location we were unable to determine precisely, likely from an impact site in the Kafr Joum area. The Aleppo Media channel on Telegram (the account is now closed, but materials related to the investigation have been archived) claimed that shelling by the Israeli Air Force hit sites in the village of Kafr Joum, which Al-Mayadeen channel reported on its website as positions belonging to Assad government forces. News pages and websites also claimed to have heard explosions in Kafr Joum without specifying their causes. The Syrian Archive was unable to identify prominent landmarks of the impact site in Kafr Joum through available sources, but a comparison of images from the Sentinel-Hub satellite for the period between March 25 and 30, 2024, shows changes and destruction in three locations likely belonging to houses that were attacked. Syrian Archive researchers found no evidence of other fighting in the same area during this time period. Animated images from sentinel-hub, taken between March 25 and 30, 2024, show changes in three impact sites in Kafr Joum at coordinates 36.105720 and 37.000587, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 4, 2024. Journalists and pro-Assad government pages claimed that the Israeli bombardment coincided with an attack by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham on government positions in the 46th Regiment adjacent to Kafr Joum. It's worth noting that the distance between the 46th Regiment and the first impact site identified by the Syrian Archive in Kafr Joum is more than 10 kilometers. A screenshot from the Wars and Maps account on the X platform showing the location of the 46th Regiment and the village of Kafr Joum on a map controlled by Assad government forces, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 5, 2024. A screenshot of the distance between the 46th Regiment at coordinates 36.125427, 36.886013 and the impact point in Kafr Joum at coordinates 36.105720, 37.000587, taken by the Syrian Archive on July 5, 2024. Victims: The number of victims found by the Syrian Archive varied according to the sources and dates of publication. In a report published on March 30, 2024, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated the death toll from Israeli airstrikes on sites in the Aleppo countryside at 52 people, 38 of whom were affiliated with Assad government forces, 7 with Lebanese Hezbollah, and 7 with pro-Iranian militias of Syrian nationality. Social media pages (the post is no longer available, but has been archived) and news websites reported the names of 33 dead (the post is no longer available, but has been archived) allegedly belonging to Assad government forces. Pages also reported the death of Muhammad Baqir Yahya al-Hark (a civilian contractor affiliated with Assad government forces and a group commander). Sources indicated that civilians were among the dead. Reports circulated of six names allegedly belonging to Hezbollah fighters killed in the incident. The same names, along with others, were mentioned in a statement mourning its fighters, noting that they had "ascended as martyrs on the road to Jerusalem" (a phrase Hezbollah uses to mourn its fighters killed by Israeli forces), without specifying where they had been killed. Likely Responsible: The Syrian government, according to a military source quoted by the official SANA news agency, held Israeli forces responsible for the airstrike on several locations in the Aleppo countryside. The government stated that the attack came from the direction of Athriya, southeast of Aleppo, at approximately 1:45 a.m. on March 29, 2024. Social media pages and news websites reported an airstrike allegedly carried out by the Israeli Air Force on sites in the Aleppo countryside. We were unable to obtain, through available sources, any official statement from the Israeli forces about the attack, but news websites and Hebrew-language pages reported Israeli Air Force bombing of sites in the Aleppo countryside by Syrian government forces and Lebanese Hezbollah. Conclusion: Based on the information detailed above, it can be confirmed that sites in the southeastern, eastern, and western countryside of Aleppo were subjected to airstrikes believed to have been launched by Israeli Air Force warplanes at approximately 1:45 a.m. on Friday, March 29, 2024. The attack resulted in dozens of deaths. The names of 40 people allegedly killed in the attack matched: 33 members of the Assad government forces, 6 members of the Lebanese Hezbollah, and one civilian contractor who served as a group commander in the Assad government forces. It is not possible to confirm with certainty whether Israeli forces bombed the sites in the Aleppo countryside, but reports and statements related to the incident indicate that the Israeli Air Force was likely responsible for the attack.