Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISSY-270319

Incident date

March 27–28, 2019

Location

الشيخ نجار وقرب مطار حلب الدولي, Al sheikh Najar and near Aleppo airport, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

Between seven and 10 belligerents, specifically member of the Iranian forces and their loyal militias, were killed and others were wounded in alleged Israeli strikes on Al sheikh Najar and near Aleppo airport around midnight between March 27/28, 2019.

Euphrates Post reported “Israeli planes targeted midnight on Wednesday with violent raids in the vicinity of Aleppo International Airport. Local media sources said that huge explosions were heard in the vicinity of Aleppo International Airport and Sheikh Najjar area, in conjunction with the escalation of the flames.” They added that according to the forces loyal to the regime, “the Israeli aircraft targeted some sites in the industrial area in Sheikh Najjar northeast of Aleppo, and limited damage to materials only.”

A tweet from @BabakTaghvaee identified the facilities struck as “a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. #Israel Air Force’s F-16D/Is & F-15Is dropped their SDBs on the #IRGC targets near #Aleppo from 45,000 to 51,000ft altitude.”

Syrian Arab News Agency also reported that “a number of industrial sites in Sheikh Najar industrial region” were hit with strikes and that damage was material only.

While various sources reported that the damage was material only, Step News Agency posted about “the sound of ambulances in several neighborhoods in Aleppo and news of casualties and casualties in the ranks of the regime and its militias as a result of the Israeli raids that touched the vicinity of Aleppo airport just before.” Syrian Observatory gave specific information that “at least 7 of the Iranian forces and their loyal militias have been killed, as a result of Israeli strikes against ammunition depots of the Iranian forces and their loyal militias, in Sheikh Najjar Industrial Area on the outskirts of Aleppo city, and the death toll may rise because there are some injured people.”

Jerusalem Post gave information that “according to the Syrian Human Rights Center, ten people died and the city of Aleppo in Syria is in chaos due to the “Israeli strike,” Maariv initially reported. The report is in contrast to official Syrian media reports that suggest Syrian air defenses defended the area.”

The Times of Israel reported that “Acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday appeared to confirm that Israeli warplanes struck Iranian military targets outside the northern Syrian city of Aleppo overnight. In an interview with Israel Radio, Katz said that “as far as Iran knows, it’s Israel” that carried out the strike targeting a weapons depot, and went on to say that it was a “challenging” operation to perform.”

Aljazeera added that “the blasts caused an electrical blackout in Aleppo, the country’s second-largest city and a major industrial hub that bore the brunt of years of fighting and heavy Russian and Syrian aerial bombardment on its former rebel-held areas. Other attacks hit the vicinity of al-Nairab military airport on the outskirts of Aleppo in the second such attack on the installation used by Iranian troops in less than a year.”

The incident occured around midnight.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Suspected targets
    Assad regime, Iranian military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    7–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    2

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (10) [ collapse]

  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)
  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)
  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)
  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)
  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)
  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)
  • Caption: #BREAKING: #Israel Air Force carried-out an airstrike against a rocket manufacturing workshop at Sheikh Najar industrial zone, near the #Aleppo International Airport. It is reported that #IRGC was producing Fajr-5C precision guided rockets for #Syria Arab Army there. (Images posted by @BabakTaghvaee)

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Israeli Military

The Times of Israel reported that "Acting Foreign Minister Israel Katz on Thursday appeared to confirm that Israeli warplanes struck Iranian military targets outside the northern Syrian city of Aleppo overnight. In an interview with Israel Radio, Katz said that “as far as Iran knows, it’s Israel” that carried out the strike targeting a weapons depot, and went on to say that it was a “challenging” operation to perform."

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Suspected targets
    Assad regime, Iranian military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    7–10
  • Belligerents reported injured
    2

Sources (13) [ collapse]