(Previous Incident Code: S1619)

According to local sources three to four civilians were killed by artillery or airstrikes, injuring up to 18 others near the sheep market of al Soussa.

Al Soussa Youth reported “a very violent bombardment of rocket launchers” on the sheep market and nearby houses. According to the report, “more than ten missiles” resulted in large clouds of smoke, while drones were flying overhead.

In a later report, Al Soussa Youth identified a number of civilians that were killed in the attack: Sa’ad Hashim al-Khudair al-Suwa’yi (possibly killed as he left an internet shop) and two sons of Ali Khalif al-Hasan al-Shahani – according to Baladi, one of them was still a child.

In a video following these reports, Al Soussa Youth would note that the victims were sitting on a veranda when they were killed. According to the official Facebook page for al Soussa, rockets had struck Al A’liyat mill, near the house of Hussein al-A’kla and confirmed the death of the three civilians, adding that women and children were also injured.

Deir Ezzor 24 was the first source to note that “aircraft believed to be affiliated to the Coalition” were responsible for the civilian casualties. Al Haall also said that the Coalition was responsible for “killing four civilians and injuring more than 18 other, some of them critically”. The outlet quoted Faisal al-Sayyed, who noted that “most of the shells fell next to the Osman mosque”.

Euphrates Post however stated that the rockets originated from “forces of the Assad regime stationed in the city of Abu Kamal”, targeting the town of al Soussa “yesterday evening”. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also concluded that the “violent explosions” that shook al Soussa were caused by “targeting by the regime forces”.

Baladi made mention of a fourth “unidentified body” of a person killed in the bombardment. The report stated that it was not the Coalition or pro-regime forces, but the SDF’s artillery and missile fire which were responsible for the incident. According to the media outlet, “local media sources” had informed them that “sdf forces shelled dozens of rockets in the town of al-Sousse […], killing four civilians and injuring others, mostly women and children.” Sadaa al Sham and Al Araby al Jadid also identified the SDF as the culprit.

Al Ghad al Souri noted two separate strikes on the city. The first, by the US led Coalition, targeted and killed ISIS leader Abkhadijah al Jazairi [the Algerian] in a residential area of al Soussa it said, noting that three civilians also died. A second action by regime forces then killed and injured civilians near the sheep market.