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

RS1633

Incident date

November 18, 2016

Location

حي طريق الباب , Tareeq al Bab neighbourhood, Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Geolocation

36.371972, 37.51631 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Neighbourhood/area level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

Between four and ten civilians including a woman and up to three children died and as many as 17 others were wounded in alleged Russian or regime air or artillery strikes on Aleppo’s Tareeq al Bab neighbourhood, according to sources on the ground.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights pointed to Russia, putting the death toll at a minimum of four including two children and a woman.

Accoridng to @shahed_alep, there were  “six martyrs, including three children with 15 more wounded in a Russian bombardment”.

According to Syrian News Desk, seven civilians were killed, all of them from one family, and more than 13 others wounded, in the afternoon, due to the Russian warplanes.

Syriansnews put the death toll higher at 10.

But Aawsat said that the regime had also carried out strikes. It reported: “warplanes launched more 50 air strikes and 300 artillery and missile shells, and distributed the bombing on the neighborhoods of Sakhour, logo, Dhahra Awad, Hananoo, Tareeq Al Bab, Qatraji, Ansari Khadr, Al Fardous, Al Salhin, the Maadi, land in Hamra and Jabal Badro. These raids led to the fall of more than 35 martyrs and hundreds of wounded.”

A number of other sources said that chlorine gas had been dropped on the neighbourhood by helicopters.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (2)

Age unknown male killed
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 10
  • (2–3 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    17
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • '6 martyrs, including 3 children and 17 wounded civilians in Russian raids with concussion bombs on the neighborhood of Tareeq Al Bab in Aleppo # besieged.'

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

Russia has not reported any specific strikes between November 1st – 30th 2016.

On 6 January 2017, Russia, however, reported: “Since November 8, 2016, the aircraft carrier group of the Northern Fleet consisting of the heavy aircraft carrying cruiser Admiral Kuznetsov, the heavy nuclear missile cruiser Pyotr Velikiy, the large ASW ship Severomorsk, as well as auxiliary vessels of the Black Sea Fleet, has been fulfilling counterterrorist missions on the territory of Syria”, adding that ”in the course of two months of their participation in the combat actions, naval aviation pilots have carried out 420 combat sorties, 117 of them were night ones.”

Additionally, Russia reported that its air forces have carried out strikes in Aleppo during November and December 2016.

Syrian Regime Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4 – 10
  • (2–3 children1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    17
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Fair
    Reported by two or more credible sources, with likely or confirmed near actions by a belligerent.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

CS1322a RS2380

Incident date

August 2, 2017

Location

زور شمر, Zor Shamer, Raqqa, Syria

Geolocation

35.78379, 39.36559 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Village level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

One civilian was killed in an airstrike in Zor Shamer, Raqqa, according to local media sources – though it was not clear who was responsible. Most sources attributed responsibility to Russian forces, though one reported that Coalition aircraft conducted the strike.

DeirEzzor24, reported that “Coalition aircraft targeted the area south of Hsaywa, Zor Shamer”.

Syrian Network for Human Rights was the only known source to mention any civilian harm and named the man who had died. They, along with all of the other known sources, attributed responsibility to Russia for the event.

In their August 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.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Adult male killed

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Russian Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Ibrahim Khaled al Qadour was killed in a contested Coalition-Russian airstrike in Zor Shamer, August 2 2017. (Via: SN4HR)
CJTF–OIR Declassified Assessment and Press Release

Attached to this civilian harm incident is a provisional reconciliation of the Pentagon's declassified assessment of this civilian harm allegation, based on matching date and locational information.

The declassified documents were obtained by Azmat Khan and the New York Times through Freedom of Information requests and lawsuits filed since March 2017, and are included alongside the corresponding press release published by the Pentagon. Airwars is currently analysing the contents of each file, and will update our own assessments accordingly.

Declassified Assessment Press Release

US-led Coalition Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    US-led Coalition
  • US-led Coalition position on incident
    Non credible / Unsubstantiated
    Insufficient information to assess that, more likely than not, a Coalition strike resulted in civilian casualties.
  • Reason for non-credible assessment
    No Coalition strikes were conducted in the geographical area
  • Civilian deaths conceded
    None
  • Civilian injuries conceded
    None
  • MGRS coordinate
    37SEV330600
    Military Grid Reference System

Civilian casualty statements

US-led Coalition
  • Aug 22, 2020
  • Aug. 2, 2017, in Zor Shamer, Syria, via Airwars report. After a review of all available records it was assessed that no Coalition actions were conducted in the geographical area that corresponds to the report of civilian casualties. 3141/CS1322a 37SEV330600

Original strike reports

US-led Coalition

In Syria, Coalition military forces conducted 21 strikes consisting of 26 engagements against
ISIS targets.
 Near Raqqah, 14 strikes engaged 10 ISIS tactical units and destroyed nine fighting positions,
two vehicles, a supply cache, a VBIED, a mortar position, an ISIS UAS site, and a generator.

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Russian Military

Russia has not reported any specific strikes between August 1st-31st 2017.

Summary

  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    US-led Coalition, Russian Military

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

RS4523

Incident date

September 20, 2020

Location

عرب سعيد, Arab Saeed, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

One civilian was reportedly injured as a result of alleged Russian airstrikes on the vicinity of Arab Sa’id village, west of Idlib on September 20th, 2020 at noon according to local sources and news agencies.

Edlib Media center said that according to the civil defense one civilian was injured after “eight Russian su34 and su35 aircrafts “ bombed the area of Arab Sa’id, west of Idlib city, with high-explosive missiles. The same source claimed that activists shared pictures on social media that showed a shrapnel penetrating one of the tents of the displaced near the location of the attack. All other sources that reported on the incident including Halab Today TV and Step News agency did not mention anything about claimed civilian harm (number of injured or killed).

According to Halab Today TV the attack on the vicinity of Arab Sa’id village was specifically on the area of Al-Ahrash. Other Local sources including the Syrian journalist Mohamad Rasheed (@mohmad_rasheed) said that more than 23 air raids were launched on both villages of Arab Sa’id and Batenta that noon . On the other hand, one source named  (@SyriawatanNews) claimed that the alleged Russian warplanes attacked, with missiles, takfiri groups in the area.

All of the sources that reported on the incident claimed that Russian forces were behind the attack.

The incident occured in the afternoon.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • 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
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (19) [ collapse]

  • "Intense Russian bombing targets the vicinity of the city of Idlib" (Image via Edilbemc / Facebook)
  • "Intense Russian bombing targets the vicinity of the city of Idlib" (Image via Edilbemc / Facebook)
  • "Intense Russian bombing targets the vicinity of the city of Idlib" (Image via Edilbemc / Facebook)
  • "Intense Russian bombing targets the vicinity of the city of Idlib" (Image via Edilbemc / Facebook)
  • "A squadron of warplanes belonging to the Russian occupation takes turns targeting the vicinity of Arab Saeed and the forest areas west of Maarrat Misrin and west of Idlib, with more than 18 raids so far" (Image via @Support_023 / Twitter)
  • "A squadron of warplanes belonging to the Russian occupation takes turns targeting the vicinity of Arab Saeed and the forest areas west of Maarrat Misrin and west of Idlib, with more than 18 raids so far" (Image via @Support_023 / Twitter)
  • "A squadron of warplanes belonging to the Russian occupation takes turns targeting the vicinity of Arab Saeed and the forest areas west of Maarrat Misrin and west of Idlib, with more than 18 raids so far" (Image via @Support_023 / Twitter)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • Russian warplanes target the western outskirts of Idlib, with more than 25 air strikes (Image by Muhammed Said / Mohamad.saeed.75098 / Facebook)
  • "Russian warplanes target takfiri groups with missiles in the Arab Saeed area, west of the city of Idlib" (SyrianwatanNews / Twitter)

Russian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • 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
    Weak
    Single source claim, though sometimes featuring significant information.
  • Suspected attacker
    Russian Military
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4449

Incident date

July 8, 2022

Location

بليون, Balion, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, a young man, was injured in alleged Russian or regime artillery shelling of the village of Balion on July 8, 2022.

According to @SyriaCivilDefe, a young man was wounded in artillery shelling of the village of Balion by the regime and Russian forces. Civil Defense volunteers took the injured man to the nearest medical point. A @jisrtv correspondent reported that the person was “slightly injured” in the shelling.

Various other local sources including @TvIdlib also identified one civilian as being wounded in the attack. Al Araby reported that the shelling hit civilian homes in the town of Balion.

The majority of sources attributed the shelling to regime forces or both the regime and Russian forces. A tweet from @lyalraq13900368 specified that the regime forces stationed at surrounding checkpoints were responsible for the shelling.

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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (5) [ collapse]

  • A young man injured by alleged Russian and regime shelling of the village of Balion on July 8, 2022. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Civil Defense volunteers search the site of alleged Russian and regime shelling of the village of Balion on July 8, 2022. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian and regime shelling of the village of Balion on July 8, 2022. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Damage caused by alleged Russian and regime shelling of the village of Balion on July 8, 2022. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • Smoke caused by alleged Russian and regime shelling of the village of Balion on July 8, 2022. (Image posted by @jisrtv)

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
    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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4480

Incident date

October 24, 2022

Location

شنان, Shnan, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

At least one civilian, including a child and/or woman, was injured by alleged Syrian regime or Russian shelling of the village of Shnan on October 24, 2022.

The @SyriaCivilDefe reported that a woman was injured by Syrian regime and Russian shelling of the village of Shnan with tank shells. The Syrian Civil Defense added that the shelling occurred at the same time as schools letting out for the day, and volunteers protected students from the shelling.

According to @syr_television, a child was injured and a home was destroyed by missiles that hit the village of Shnan.

Baladi News correspondent in Idlib countryside reported that the Syrian regime forces intensively bombed the farms surrounding the town of Shnan, which resulted in the injury of a woman to varying degrees.

@idleb_online tweeted that the Syrian army was shelling the positions of the militants in the village of Shnan, but did not include information about casualties.

The majority of sources attributed the shelling to the Syrian regime. However, @SyriaCivilDefe reported that the Syrian regime and Russia were responsible.

The incident occured in the morning.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • 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 (11) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

  • Damage caused by artillery shelling of Shnan on October 24, 2022. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense via Twitter)
  • Civil Defense volunteers protect students from artillery shelling of Shnan on October 24, 2022. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense via Twitter)
  • Damage caused by artillery shelling of Shnan on October 24, 2022. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense via Twitter)
  • Damage caused by artillery shelling of Shnan on October 24, 2022. (Image posted by Syrian Civil Defense via Twitter)

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
    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 (11) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4517

Incident date

June 12, 2023

Location

افس, Afes, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Monday June 12th 2023, an alleged missile strike by Assad regime forces and Russia hit the village of Afes in the eastern countryside of Idlib, injuring between one and three civilians, including two children.

Sources including @SyriaCivilDefe and @hadikhraat twitter accounts, and Zaman Al Wasl reported three civilians being hit by shrapnel, including a man, Jamal, and his two children, Marwa and Abdullah, while Radio Al Kul accounts for a woman and two children being injured. @HalabTodayTV twitter account is the only source reporting only a woman being injured. Images posted by @SyriaCivilDefe show two children and a man being treated for their injuries by the White Helmets.

All sources, including @SyriaCivilDefe and @VedengAgency1 twitter accounts, reported that the attack took place in the vicinity of the village of Afes in the countryside of Idlib under the control of the Turkish-backed factions. Moreover, Radio Al Kul noted that the airstrike also affected “the vicinity of the Turkish military point in the village of Maarat Aliya, east of Idlib” and @pvSScBsybeozsB8 twitter account mentions “more than 125 rocket and artillery shells.”

The suspected attackers are alleged to be the Syrian armed forces and Russia, as reported by @SyriaCivilDefe twitter account and Zaman Al Wasl, although responsibility has not been accepted explicitly.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Jamal
male injured
Marwa
Child injured
Abdullah
Child injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–3
  • 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • A man and his children injured by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the village of Afes on June 12, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • A man and his children injured by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the village of Afes on June 12, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • A man and his children injured by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the village of Afes on June 12, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • A man and his children injured by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the village of Afes on June 12, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • A man and his children injured by alleged Russian or Syrian regime shelling on the village of Afes on June 12, 2023. (Image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe)
  • A civilian and his two children were injured when the vicinity of the town of #Afes in #Idlib countryside was targeted with rocket launchers
  • More than 125 rocket and artillery shells targeted Idlib axes, wounding a man and his two children in the village of Afes
  • 3 civilians, including two children, were wounded by artillery and missile strikes of the regime forces on the town of Afes

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
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–3
  • 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
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4551

Incident date

September 2, 2023

Location

كفرتعال, Kafr Ta’al, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

A resident of Kafr Ta’al in Western Aleppo died after being wounded in an artillery shelling — allegedly fired by the Syrian regime and/or Russian military — on the morning of September 2, 2023.

Civilians had rushed the injured Abdu Ahmad Qudur to a hospital, where he died the same day. Teams from the Syrian Civil Defense were prevented from reaching the site themselves due to ongoing bombardment, according to @syriancivildefe. Zaman al-Wasl specified that Abdu was “a civilian who did not belong to any military party”. Shaam News reported that in addition to the civilian death, “others” were injured, without providing an injury toll.

The Syrian Civil Defense attributed the shelling to the Syrian regime, but local media reports were conflicting. Shaam News also identified the Syrian regime as responsible, while Al Mohrar labeled Russian forces as the perpetrator.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Abdu Ahmad Qudur عبدو أحمد قدور
Adult male killed

Summary

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

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Image of Abdo Ahmad Qaddour who was allegedly killed by Russian/Syrian regime strikes. Source: AlmuhrarNewsNEt

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 man)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (14) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4591

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

جسر الشغورجسر الشغور, Jisr Al Shughour city, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Two civilians, including a 44-year-old woman and a man, were injured and a number of civilians were reportedly killed shortly before 8:56 AM on the morning of Saturday, October 7th, 2023, due to the bombardement reportedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military on the residential neighborhoods of the Jisr Al Shughour city, west of Idlib. The woman was injured by multiple shrapnel wounds derived from the attack. In the case of the injured man, there was no further description. Another strike happening at noon on the day before, October 6th, damaged three mosques, but there were no civilian casualties reported as of now.

A Facebook user Abdulrazaq Alsbeeh claimed that a number of civilians were killed as a result of the Russian airstrikes on the outskirts of Jisr Al Shughour, but this information was not corroborated by other sources.

The reported shelling damaged a lot of civilian infrastructure, including at least two mosques located on March 8 Street, Rabaa school in the city center, and a market. In particular, it damaged the internal structure of the Al-Tamra mosque, the walls and surroundings of the Al-Kareem mosque located on March 8 Street, and the wall of the Rabaa School.

Journalist Mohammed Belaas (@blaas083) shared a video report on Twitter/X saying that three mosques were damaged during the strike by Syrian regime forces and Russian military that happened during Friday prayer jumaa (apparently around noon on October 6, 2023). A local resident said that these mosques were called Al-Tamra, Al-Iman and Al-Kareem. He also added that the strike was carried out during the jumaa prayer time, but there were reportedly no civilian casualties. The journalist also carried a remnant of the weapons used in his hand.

The Syrian Civil Defence patrolled the areas where material damage was inflicted, and shared multiple images and a video on its social media accounts. Jisr Al-Shughur Media Center also shared the images of the damaged walls and roof of one of the mosques.

While most of the sources attributed the strike to the Syrian regime forces, two sources claimed that Russian military was responsible for the incident. Therefore, Airwars has graded both strike status and civilian harm status as contested.

The incident occured at approximately 8:56 am local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace, Religious Institution, School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • 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
    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 (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (13) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Duraid Haj Hammoud posT
  • Source: Duraid Haj Hammoud posT
  • Source: News now?

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 infrastructure
    Marketplace, Religious Institution, School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • 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
    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 (19) [ collapse]