(Previous Incident Code: R3472)

Up to four civilians, including a child, were killed and at least 11 civilians were injured in alleged Russian or Syrian regime air and artillery strikes on Khan Sheikhoun, Hama governorate, on May 8th, 2019, according to local sources.

Several sources reported that a total of three civilians were killed, including the Syrian Network for Human Rights. The local monitor added that “Syrian regime fixed-wing warplanes fired missiles in parallel with shelling by their missile launcher on Khan Sheikhoun city”.

Smart News Agency initially reported that one man was killed and ten wounded in Khan Sheikhoun, but in a later post claimed that four civilians including a child were killed and 17 others wounded, including women and children. According to the source, 15 airstrikes were conducted in addition to four barrels of explosives dumped on the city by helicopters amid shelling with more than 100 rockets and 35 artillery shells.

The Syrian Civil Defense Forces that were present at the scene reported that a total of 11 people were killed and 11 others injured by “four airstrikes with 60 rocket-propelled grenades and 20 artillery shells struck residential neighbourhoods of the town of Khan Sheikoun in Idlib”.

Al Souria reported that 26 civilians had been injured. According to @DirarKhattab, the attacks occured during iftar, when Muslims break their fast around dusk during the holy month of Ramadan.

Radio Alkul reported that “39 schools have been bombed by the regime and Russia in the past two months, resulting in the departure of 17 schools from the service completely, and the destruction of some others in whole or in part, Mohammed al-Hussein, assistant director of education in Idlib, told Radio All.” Some 23 of these schools were reportedly in Khan Sheikhoun.

Al Nahar, a pro-regime paper, reported strikes against the al-Nusra front in Khan Sheikhoun.