Russian Military in Syria

A Russian combat aircraft at Khmeimim airbase in Syria being prepared for action. (Russian Ministry of Defence)

Belligerent
Russian Military
Country
Syria
start date
end date
Civilian Harm Status
Belligerent Assessment
Declassified Documents
Infrastructure

Incident Code

R4630

Incident date

November 25, 2023

Location

قوقفين, village of Qoqfin in Jabal al-Zawiya, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

During the morning of Saturday, November 25, 2023, an artillery shelling allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian forces on the village of Qoqfin in Jabal al-Zawiya, south of the town of Idlib, killed at least 10 and up to 11 civilians who were working in the olive fields harvesting olive crop, including at least seven children one woman and two men, and injured at least one woman, 50-year old Khadija Ibrahim. Khadija was the only survivor of the deadly attack in which she lost her husband and their three children.

All the victims were relatives and belonged either to one or two related families. Some sources reported that “several” civilians were injured. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), nine people died immediately on the spot, and one child died later as a result of the inflicted injuries. SOHR added that the number of the victims could rise as some wounded were in serious condition. Later Twitter/X accounts @zelal_katee and @molhamteam reported that the number of the victims reached 11. The Twitter/X user @alaaaldin_yousf posted pictures from the funerals of the victims. According to Abdul Hamid Qatini, a volunteer in the Syrian Civil Defense, the attack happened in the morning.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) reported that the Syrian regime artillery forces allegedly fired multiple shells at Qoqfin village. Referring to a local source, Rozana news informed that the artillery shelling came from the positions of Syrian regime forces in the Shulin area, close to the village. Enab Baladi news added that “the Syrian regime’s artillery and missile bombardment coincided with the flight of Russian reconnaissance planes over the area since the early hours of the morning”, so the Russian military might have allegedly supported this attack. Where sources identified the belligerent, the majority of the sources attributed the strike to Syrian regime forces, with a number of sources attributing the bombing to both Russian forces and Syrian regime forces, or to Russian forces only.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee (SHRC) news as well as the Facebook post by Omran Shnan included the names of the identified victims of the attack. 50-year old Abdullah Muhammad Al-Saeed, presumably Khadija Ibrahim’s husband, was killed together with their three children – four-year old Hussein Abdullah Al-Saeed, 12-year old Asmaa Abdullah Al-Saeed and 16-year old Ahmed Abdullah Al-Saeed. Among the victims was also 48-year old Aisha Muhammad Al-Saeed, 20-year old Ibrahim Abdullah Qadi, 15-year old Huda Abdullah Qadi, 16-year old Heba Abdullah Qadi and three-year old Amna Abdullah Qadi. It was reported by SHRC news that the tenth victim was not identified. The name of the child who died from the injuries later was not provided in the sources either.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported that its crew had recovered the bodies of some of the victims of the strike and transported the injured people to the hospital, amid “great difficulty in reaching them due to regime forces monitoring the area”. It also featured the injured Khadija Ibrahim being transported to the hospital.

Additionally, the Civil Defense posted on Twitter/X social media platform a video and pictures from the place of the deadly attack where one can see a cap and a toy horse, accompanying it with the words full of grief: “It was a place full of life and hope, the happiest moments after a year of waiting to harvest the olives, turned into a tragedy… everything was scattered… bodies, souls and dreams… a scene repeated every season and a different kind of war that haunts the residents in their daily livelihood.”

Journalist M. faisal (@mhmdfaisel) also shared an emotional video on Twitter/X social media platform where he was standing in the the olive fields holding a toy horse that belonged to one of the deceased children in his hands and speaking about the children who had lost their lives in this attack.

In another touching video shared by the Syrian Civil Defense, a young boy Ahmed who lost his mother and five siblings in this incident was shown crying “I want my mother… I want to see my mother.”

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Family members (10)

Abdullah Muhammad Al-Saeed عبدالله محمد السعيد
50 years old male killed
Khadija Ibrahim خديجة إبراهيم
50 years old female injured
Hussein Abdullah Al-Saeed حسين عبدالله السعيد
4 years old killed
Asmaa Abdullah Al-Saeed أسماء عبدالله السعيد
12 years old killed
Ahmed Abdullah Al-Saeed أحمد عبدالله السعيد
16 years old killed
Aisha Muhammad Al-Saeed عائشة محمد السعيد
48 years old killed
Ibrahim Abdullah Qadi إبراهيم عبد الله قدي
20 years old killed
Huda Abdullah Qadi هدى عبد الله قدي
15 years old killed
Heba Abdullah Qadi هبة عبدالله قدي
16 years old
Amna Abdullah Qadi أمنة عبد الله قدي
3 years old

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10 – 11
  • (7 children1 woman2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (53) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (47) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @nahermedia
  • Source: @aboalhodaalhoms
  • Source: @molhamteam
  • Source: @molhamteam
  • Source: @alaaaldin_yousf
  • Source: @alaaaldin_yousf
  • Source: @alaaaldin_yousf
  • Source: @alaaaldin_yousf
  • Source: SNHR news
  • Source: Omar al Baw
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    Source: Mohammed Al Abdo
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    Source: Mohammed Al Abdo
  • Source: Abo Amin 80 observatory
  • Source: Abo Amin 80 observatory
  • Source: Abo Amin 80 observatory
  • Source: Abo Amin 80 observatory
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Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    10 – 11
  • (7 children1 woman2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (53) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4567

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

المدخل الشرقي لإدلب ومحطة الكهرباء, the eastern entrance of Idlib and the power station, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the afternoon of Thursday October 5th 2023, an artillery shelling allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military struck Eastern Idlib, including a large electric power station, killing between one and two civilians and injuring three civilians, one of whom was a child.

The majority of sources, such as Syria Civil Defence (SCD), indicated that two civilians were killed whilst three civilians, a young girl and two men, were injured. At present, there has been no identification of the victims apart from Ahmed Haj Ali, who was named as one of the injured by Aawsat News, which reported that a shell fell next to his motorcycle, which caused him to fall and then take refuge in a store before going to the hospital. He witnessed the killing of a man without realising that he was injured too: “We carried the young man, we came to the governorate hospital, and it turned out that I was suffering from a fracture and wounds.”

Striking the power station resulted in a fire and a major power outage across Idlib. SCD teams responded to the strikes by recovering 2 bodies and extinguishing the fire that erupted in the power station. They shared videos and photos on Twitter/X of the injured and deceased, as well as their efforts to contain the fire. Numerous news sources such as Almohrarmedia and Facebook page News of Idlib posted photos capturing the devastating smoke clouds and infrastructure damage caused by the strikes. According to Aawsat News, mosques in the area sounded warnings to civilians not to go out in the streets after the bombing began in Idlib.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), alongside the majority of sources, reported that the strikes were attributed to the Syrian regime. Twitter/X account Marsad Abu Shams also suspected Russian militias, however there have been no official statements taking responsibility from either suspected belligerent.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Haj Ali أحمد حاج علي
Age unknown male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Power Station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (27) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (28) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @rewsakurda
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    Source: @alking14399969
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    Source: @creativenewssy
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    Source: @Rian_almasri
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: Aawsat news
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    Source: Almohrarmedia news
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    Source: Akbar idlib
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    Source: Akbar idlib
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    Source: Idalb
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    Source: Revolution coordination
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    Source: Idlib TV
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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan
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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan
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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan
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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan
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Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Power Station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (27) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4568

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Thursday October 5th 2023, artillery strikes allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime and/or Russian military on the city of Sarmin injured between 10 and 15 civilians, including 3 children and 2 women.

Most sources, including Syrian Civil Defence (SCD), reported that 10 civilians, including three children and two women, were injured and shared photos and videos of children receiving treatment within ambulances run by their teams. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 15 civilians were injured in this incident, which was a part of dozens of shelling, artillery and missile incidents across the Idlib countryside. None of the injured victims have currently been named.

SCD also shared that the artillery damaged Sarmin’s residential neighbourhood infrastructure and two schools, one which was named as Hussein al Hajj Abboud. Syria TV posted that the strikes had caused civilians to be displaced from Sarmin as a result of the continuous shelling.

SOHR, alongside numerous local news sources such as Idlib Media Center, attributed the attack to the Syrian regime. The Coordination of the Syrian Revolution also suspected the involvement of the Russian military, however there have been no official statements taking responsibility from either suspected belligerent.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–15
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Idlib Media Center
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Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–15
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (16) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4570

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

أريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On 5 October 2023, intense artillery and missile bombardments allegedly by the Syrian regime and/or Russian Military caused the death of at least one civilian and the injury of 14 civilians, including 4 children and 3 women, in the city of Ariha (Jericho).

A Facebook post from local source “Jericho, the bride of the north” included the names of some of the identified victims: a woman named Bushra Habboush who was killed by the attack, and Ahmad Al Jasem from Hawir Al-Eis, Ahmad Al Zain, Mohammed Bassam Zanab, Shahed Yousef Saado, Fatima Ahmad Saynon, a 3-year old and a 14-year old child, all of them injured.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported that a missile bombardment on the city of Ariha (Jericho) resulted in the death of a woman and the injury of 14 civilians, including 4 children and 3 women. However, the Political Keys correspondent @political_keys identified one person killed and eight injuries resulting.

According to Syrian Civil Defense the bombings affected a considerable number of vital and public facilities in the city. Additionally, the ambulance and the center’s fire annex were damaged. The bombardment consisted of dozens of shells fired from rocket launchers that led to great destruction in the city. Other sources report that the attacks consisted of the bombardment of 40 missile launchers. In the midst of this, the Syrian Defense team responded by working on the removal of the rubble that blocked the roads.

The Al-Masdar News Agency reported to be monitoring the effects of the destruction from the intense bombardment in Ariha.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible for the shelling, with sources including @​​Najdat567 reporting that Syrian regime forces stations in checkpoints were responsible while Revolution Coordination identified both the Syrian regime and Russian forces as responsible, and other sources only mentioned “militias” as being involved.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Bushra Habboush بشرى حبوش
Age unknown female killed
Ahmad Al Jasem أحمد الجاسم
Age unknown injured
Ahmad Al Zain أحمد الزين
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Bassam Zanab محمد بسام زعنب
Age unknown injured
Shahed Yousef Saado شهد يوسف سعدو
Age unknown injured
Fatima Ahmad Saynon فاطمة أحمد صينون
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–14
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (39) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @Military_OSTX
  • Source: @Military_OSTX
  • Source: @Military_OSTX
  • Source: @Najdat567
  • Source: @HalabTodayTV
  • Source: @ralshhwan9
  • Source: @ralshhwan9
  • Source: Ariha Today
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Al-Masdar News Agency
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Syrian Civil Defense
  • Source: Civil Defense Idlib
  • Source: Civil Defense Idlib
  • Source: Idlib today
  • Source: Al mohrar
  • Source: Al mohrar
  • Source: Muhammad Al-Rihawi
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Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    8–14
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4571

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

مجدليا, Majdalya, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian was injured after an alleged Syrian regime and/or Russian-affiliated missile strike on the town of Majdalya, in southern Idlib, on October 5th, 2023.

Most sources reported that one civilian was injured. However, a Facebook post from Muhammad al-Adlabi claimed that a man “and his child” had been injured, but this has not been corroborated elsewhere. Other identifying characteristics, including names, have not been released.

While some sources, including Syrian Civil Defense, attributed the strike to “regime forces,” Muhammad Al-Adlabi attributed strikes across Syria, including Majdalya, to the Syrian regime and Russian forces/

The missile bombardment, which has been described as “intense,” led to the destruction of several homes and other properties, meaning numerous families were displaced.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4572

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

دير سنبل, Deir Sinbol, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one woman was injured after alleged Syrian regime and/or Russian artillery hit the town of Deir Sinbol on October 5th, 2023. Neither the woman’s name, nor other identifying characteristics, have been made available.

@MohamadDaba9966 reported that the strike hit an armed vehicle, “killing and wounding” those inside the car “on the #Hantoutin-#Dersanbel road” but it is unclear if this is the same incident as it does appear that the injured woman was wounded in the village itself.

It is unclear which party was directly responsible for the strike. One source, @NagiNajjar on Twitter, attributed the strike to “Assad’s gangs” —pointing to Syrian regime involvement. Others claimed international involvement, such as @mhmdfaisel on Twitter/X, who alleged that the strike occurred because of “the Assad militia, Iran, and Russia.” @alking14399969 corroborated this, claiming that “Russian reconnaissance aircraft” was responsible. Mars Idlb on Facebook states that Syrian regime affiliates were stationed at checkpoints near the village, and it was from this position that the artillery strikes were fired.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (4) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4565

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

جسر الغشور, city market in Jisr Al Shughour, west of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the morning of Thursday, October 5, 2023, in a town of Jisr Al Shughour located west of Idlib, Syria, artillery bombardement with contested responsibility — reportedly by the Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military — struck the city’s popular market and residential neighborhoods, killing at least one child and injuring at least 12 civilians.

While most reports indicated a single fatality, a child named Ghaith Abdulkhalek Shaeen, one source claimed a total of three deaths, including a man and two children, as reported by a local journalist via his Twitter account @Zelal_katee, accompanied by a video. These casualties, however, were unnamed by this source and unverified by others. A Twitter/X user @pvSScBsybeozsB8 shared an image of a young smiling boy identified as Ghaith Shaeen who was killed in the strike.

The count of civilian injuries was also disputed, with a minimum of six reported injuries contrasting with a list of 12 named individuals injured, shared by the Jisr al-Shughur Media Center. Although the media center did not confirm that those listed were civilians, all other reports consistently identified the injured as such.

The names of the injured civilians are Fatma Hajjar, Mohammed Thabet Halib,Khitam Hasnawi, Ahmad Al Khalif, Raji Abdulrahim, Abdulrazek Saleh, Nour Al Thaher, Mahmoud Khateeb,  Mohammed Duwairi, Hamoud Dali, Ahmad Al Munir, and Khlail Malandi.

Jisr media center Facebook account and other local sources shared images of the clouds arising after the bombardement and of vehicles being on fire. Orient News tweeted a video showing painful scenes, panic and fear in the city after the strike. Syrian news agency SANA’s Twitter/X account shared the images of the firefighters trying to extinguish the fire that had broke out after the strike. Al Arabiya Syria Facebook account posted the images showing the aftermath of the bombardment –  holes in buldings’ walls, rubble and a burnt car.

While the majority of sources attributed the attack to Syrian regime forces, Twitter/X account @mzmgr941 held the Russian military responsible for the strike.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Ghaith Abdulkhalek Shaeen غيث عبد الخالق شاهين
Child killed
Fatma Hajjar فاطمة حجار
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Thabet Halib محمد ثابت حليب
Age unknown injured
Khitam Hasnawi ختام حسناوي
Age unknown injured
Ahmad Al Khalif أحمد الخليف
Age unknown injured
Raji Abdulrahim راجي عبد الرحيم
Age unknown injured
Abdulrazek Saleh عبدالرزاق صالح
Age unknown injured
Nour Al Thaher نور الظاهر
Age unknown injured
Mahmoud Khateeb محمد خطيب
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Duwairi محمد دويري
Age unknown injured
Hamoud Dali حمد الدالي
Age unknown injured
Ahmad Al Munir أحمد المنير
Age unknown injured
Khlail Malandi خليلي ملندي
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–2 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (33) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (33) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: Jist media center
  • Source: Jisr media center
  • Source: @Abdalgani1990
  • Source: @Abdalgani1990
  • Source: @Abdalgani1990
  • Source: @pvSScBsybeozsB8
  • Source: @syrianewsag
  • Source: @syrianewsag
  • Source: Jisser.al.Shughour
  • Source: Jsralshogour
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
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  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–2 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (33) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4573

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

بنش, Binnish, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one man was injured after alleged Syrian regime and/or Russian artillery shelling in the southern periphery of the town of Binnish, east of Idlib on October 5th, 2023.

On Facebook, Bunch Now alleged that there were “light injuries” amongst the civilian population, but multiple injuries were not reported elsewhere. Syrian Civil Defense reported that they checked the area the evening of the strike, and confirmed there were no more injured.

The strike also led to destruction of property—a school was damaged, and has been referred to as either the Ibn Khaldoun School or the Farid Qabbani School. It is possible that both schools were hit.

Identification of the belligerent is contested: while some sources attributed the  strike to regime forces or regime-affiliated militias, Abu Muhammad Binsh, in a post on Facebook, pointed to Iranian militia involvement, and a Facebook post from Coordination of the Syrian Revolution mentioned potential Russian collusion. Q Street Journal on Twitter/X reported that the belligerents were targeting “militant positions.”

Numerous sources described the artillery as “intensive” and “violent.” Another source, @rh_albasha, stated that the bombardment was of the type “considered the most violent.”

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Aziz Asmar
  • Source: Media office in Binnish
  • Source: Media office in Binnish
  • Source: @qstreetjournal
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (20) [ collapse]