(Previous Incident Codes: R1248S288RS1376)

Two or three children and an elderly woman died in an airstrike on a primary school at al Shaheel, according to local media – though reports were conflicted as to whether this was the work of the Syrian regime, Russia or the US-led Coalition.

Deir Ezzor 24, the Syrian Observatory and Euphrates Post reported only that unspecified warplanes had carried out the attack. The pro-regime site Al Ahed News instead said Assad’s forces had carried out the attack – as did Step News, Smart News, Syrian Press Center, and the Syrian Network (which said the attack was on a primary school.)

Masar Press and Deir Ezzor 24 instead blamed the Coalition.

In the most detailed report Syria News Desk – which blamed Russia – noted: “Media opposition activist Abu Wassim al-Dairi, quoting civilian sources said that ‘the air force targeted with two raids a secondary School in Al Shaheel which shelters displaced people from the village of Almrieih which is adjacent to the military airport at Deir Ezzor. The attack killed two children and an elderly woman and a man, and injured four others, all from one family. The bombing resulted in the destruction of the school building and extensive damage to nearby houses.”

In their May 2020 civilian casualty report, the US-led Coalition assessed reports that they were responsible for civilian harm in this strike as “non-credible”, stating that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area at that time.