As many as 57 civilians were killed in a sequence of Russian airstrikes across Homs governorate. According to reports the attacks were in support of a Syrian regime ground offensive, backed by Iranian troops.

In Teir Ma’ala, up to 23 non-combatants were said to have died alongside militants in a 6am attack. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights later described the victims as including “the Teir Ma’ala operations room commander, 8 citizens and one child” while the Shaam News Network raised the toll to 15, noting that “one of the air strikes targeted a gathering of civilians in front of a bakery in the town near al Nour Mosque, causing dozens of deaths and injuries.” The Syrian Network for Human Rights put the final death toll at 24: “23 civilians, including 2 children and one armed opposition gunman.”

Human Rights Watch concluded that the attack “apparently violated the laws of war.“

The VDC later named 10 of the dead.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

An air raid shelter in the village of Al Ghantu was reportedly hit in a Russian airstrike, killing up to 48 people from one extended family. Among the dead were at least 23 children and nine women.

A local cameraman captured the moment the missile from an apparent Russian Air Force Su-24 hit (see below) despite the Kremlin making no reference to airstrikes in the governorate that day. The Arab East Centre noted: “According to sources in the field who saw the shelling, the first missile destroyed the two-storey building, while the second destroyed the shelter beneath the building.”

Early reports placed the number of dead at 17. However Al Jazeera later said up to 48 people had died, all from one extended family, the Al Assafs (or Al Steifs).

A reported survivor described the scene, again to Al Jazeera: “Some 45 people died. Of course they were all women, children and girls. The oldest was a 70 year old woman and the youngest was a month old. There were also pregnant women.”

An Amnesty International investigation later concluded: “There are no indications of any military presence. A weapons expert who analysed the images of the aftermath of the strike told Amnesty International that the nature of the destruction indicated possible use of fuel-air explosives or “vacuum bombs”, which leave a wide destructive “footprint” and can kill humans without causing significant visible injuries. Fuel-air explosives are particularly prone to indiscriminate effects when used in the vicinity of civilians.”

Human Rights Watch concluded that the attack “apparently violated the laws of war.“

Some 45 of the dead have been named by VDC.

The local time of the incident is unknown.