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

R4580

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

قرية الشخيب بالقرب من بلدة الزعينية, a poultry farm in the village of Al-Shukhayb near the town of Al-Zeiniyah, west of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Two females, a 13-year-old and 25-year-old, were wounded and bruised near a poultry farm in the village of Al-Shukhayb near the town of Al-Zeiniyah, west of Idlib, Syria, in an airstrike allegedly carried out by the Russian military and/or Syrian regime forces on Friday, October 6, 2023, around 9:21 in the morning.

The airstrike reportedly struck a poultry farm, sparking a fire and injuring both girls. The injured were treated by Syrian Civil Defense the same day, who evacuated the area of civilians and reported no additional casualties. SCD’s Twitter/X account also shared images of the place affected by the bombardment and of the ambulances driving the injured girls to the hospital.

Local sources attributed the injuries to an airstrike, but there was some discrepancy on the perpetrator. Many local sources, including Syrian Civil Defense and @HalabTodayTV, reported that the Russian military was responsible, however, a Facebook user Nizar Bush attributed the strike to the Syrian regime forces.

According to the tweet by Halab Today TV marked as urgent, the incident happened shortly before 9:21 AM local time.

The incident occured at approximately 9:21 am local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

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

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
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4582

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

وسط مدينة ادلب, city center of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

During the evening of Friday, October 6, 2023, four civilians (including a boy and a woman) were killed, and 12 were injured (including six children and a woman) by an artillery bombardments allegedly perpetrated either by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian and/or Iranian military on a residential area of the city center of Idlib. According to TV Idlib, two among the four civilians killed were newlyweds who had been married just 20 days before the incident. TV Idlib shared the pictures of their two bodies wrapped in white cloth in its Twitter/X account. The victims have not been named at the time of writing.

Facebook users Khabar and Konya posted images showing the bombardment of Idlib with clouds arising over the buildings. A Facebook user Makhmud Abu Yazan shared a graphic video showing dead bodies of the civilians lying on the ground in pools of blood. A Twitter/X user Alaa Al Dia (@Alaaeddindiab) shared the videos of the men carrying injured people from the place of the attack. In a video shared by the Twitter/X user @Jamil_Alhasaan a journalist said that eight missiles hit the Al Zira area in Idlib and there were civilian casualties.

The Syrian Civil Defence reportedly attended to the area of the incident shortly after it was bombed in order to evacuate and rescue civilians where necessary. They also said in a tweet that they treated some of the injured and recovered the bodies of “some” of the victims. The post shows images of two injured men being treated after the incident, with their legs bandaged.

A Twitter/X user Mohab Nasser (@Mohab_Nasser2) shared pictures of a small wounded boy with his head and arm bandaged in the arms of a man.

Posts on X/Twitter by Omar Madaniah and Rian Almasri featured a heart wrenching photo of the crying parents of one of the victims, a boy whose age has not been reported, who was their only son. The posts contained a quote in Arabic saying “My heart was gone alone, and by God, he took a shower and put on his clean clothes.” Rian Almasri’s post also included a video of the boy’s father crying and saying “I don’t have anyone else but him.”

It is not clear who the attackers were; however, the Syrian Civil Defence said in a tweet that the bombing came from Syrian regime forces. Other sources on Twitter/X named Iran military and Russian military as the perpetrators. Therefore, the Airwars graded the Strike Status and Civilian Harm Status as Contested.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (21) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @Omar_Madaniah
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Mohab_Nasser2
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Mohab_Nasser2
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @TvIdlib
  • Source: Khabar
  • Source: Khabar
  • Source: Konya
  • Source: Konya
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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

Iranian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4583

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

مجدليا, village of Majdalya,  southern countryside of Idlib, Idlib governorate, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Friday, October 6, 2023, the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported that a missile strike allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military hit residential neighbourhoods in the village of Majdalya, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria. It resulted in the injury of three civilians, who were hospitalised, and two of whom later died of their injuries.

The post included a picture of two men, likely paramedics, wearing White Helmets uniforms and transferring an injured male civilian on the emergency stretchers into an ambulance.

Later on the same day, October 6, 2023, the Syrian Civil Defense, as well as other local sources, provided an update conveying that one of the victims, identified as a man named Omar (Amer) Bin Abdullah Al Hussein, passed away at the hospital due to injuries sustained in the shelling. A Facebook user Majdalea wrote a tribute to the late Omar, sharing his image where he can be seen as a middle-aged bearded man in a blue shirt. Following this, on October 8, 2023, the organisation confirmed the death of another victim, a 40-year old man named Samer Al Qasem.

The attack was also reported by numerous sources, including the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Crime Documentation Office in Idlib, an Al Jazeera correspondent and local media and blogs, as well as the local people, corroborating the location and date of the attack, number of the victims on the day of the incident, and information regarding the suspected belligerent.

On the day of the incident, the White Helmets also shared a graphic video in which three civilians, including two severely injured, can be seen being transferred to the ambulance and being taken care of at the hospital.

While the Syrian Civil Defense, the Syrian Network for Human Rights and the local Crime Documentation Office in Idlib attributed the attack to the Syrian regime forces, one of the Facebook users, Shalan Al Heskawi, alleged the involvement of the Russian military. According to the most sources, the belligerent used artillery to attack the residential areas.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Omar Bin Abdullah Al Hussein عمر بن عبدالله الحسين
Adult male killed
Samer Al Qasem سامر القاسم
40 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Majdalea
  • 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 harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4584

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

بداما, Badama, Idlib, Idlib Governorate, Syria

Airwars assessment

On October 6th, 2023 a missile strike, allegedly launched by Russian warplanes and/or Syrian regime artillery shelling, hit the rural town of Badama near the city Jisr al-Shughur, west of Idlib (during the day, according to photographic evidence shared on social media), resulting in the injury of 14 civilians, including four children and four women.

The strike affected especially the Al-Shakhaib farm, as reported by Syria TV. The Syrian Civil Defence (aka White Helmets), who provided assistance and rescue after the attack, reported on their Twitter account that 14 civilians had been injured, including 4 women and 4 children. One of these children is named “Muhammad”, and he was wounded in the head and left unconscious by the impact – described as “Muhammad does not know why they put gauze on his head and how he was injured. He sleeps from his fatigue and pain with his innocent face scratched by missile fragments, and the colors of blood mixed with the fabric of his nice clothes.”

According to @dulama_1, the strike also hit the house of a quadriplegic elderly man, portrayed lying on his bed with debris surrounding his room, in a photo circulating online.

While the majority of sources attributed the civilian casualties to Russian airstrikes, Ariha TV blamed artillery shelling from the Syrian regime checkpoints. Multiple sources, including @Ahmad_1alshble, mentioned that vacuum missiles were used in the attack.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (20) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
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    Source: @dulama_1
  • Source: @Ahmad_1alshble
  • Source: @Ahmad_1alshble
  • Source: @zainaldinmaham1
  • Source: @altwylll
  • Source: @altwylll
  • Source: Idlib
  • Source: Idlib
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Al Jazeera - Syria
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  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

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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
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (24) [ 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
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @rewsakurda
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @alking14399969
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @creativenewssy
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Rian_almasri
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    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
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Revolution coordination
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Idlib TV
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    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
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    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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  • 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
    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]