Geolocation
Airwars assessment
Up to four civilians, including two children and a woman, were killed and up to 11 others, including five children to six children and three women, were wounded in an alleged Iranian or Russian drone strike on a weapons depot near the Al-Furousiya camp for the displaced, in the vicinity of the town of Al-Foah on May 3, 2021. However other sources blamed the casualties on a weapon malfunction.
According to Euphrates Post, “an Iranian drone targeted a weapons depot of the Ahrar al-Sham faction, near the Al-Furousiya camp for the displaced, in the vicinity of the town of Al-Foah, north of Idlib. The targeting resulted in the killing of three civilians, including two children, and the wounding of others, some of them seriously.” Their reporting also identified “the death of two members of the same faction” and that the strike resulted in extensive damage, including “several houses were razed to the ground, and many tents in the camp were damaged.”
Step News reported that “the explosion killed a woman and injured eight other civilians, including five children, in an initial toll” and that some were in a “dangerous condition.” In addition, “there were deaths and injuries among the “Uzbek” and the ranks of the Headquarters for the Liberation of Al-Sham, amounting to approximately 14 soldiers, including two dead from “Ahrar Al-Sham” and 2 others whose identities were not known.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights identified “the death of two fighters and a woman who was passing by the site of the explosion, while six other people from the camp, including women and children, sustained injuries.” The Syrian Civil Defense put the numbers at “a woman was killed, and 11 civilians were injured, including 6 children and 3 women” while @Sy24ria identified four civilians as being killed.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights identified two of the civilians killed: 25-year-old woman, named as Fahimeh Khaledeh Shehadah, and man, named as Alaa Muhammad al Mesleh.
A post from Maher Naser Diab on Facebook identified the names of those injured: Zarifa Al-Ahmad (F), Fatima Al-Muhaimid (F), Ali Al-Dakhil (M), Nayef Al-Haled (M), Alaa Asry Al-Kassar (M), Ahmed Deeb Al-Jasem (M), Wafdiya Ahmed Al-Hussein (F), Ahmed Mohammed Al-Hayer (M), Muhammad Fawaz Al-Awad (M). The material damage from the explosion included more than 50 tents destroyed and more than 30 sheep were killed.
Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible, with Step News reporting that one source said that “it it was caused by a technical failure in manufacturing that led to explosions” while another claimed “a Russian drone was flying in the targeted area, and it is expected that it bombed the place with guided missiles.” Zaman Al Wasel News and Euphrates Post attributed the explosion to an Iran drone. Other sources also reported that it wasn’t clear whether the explosion resulted from an aerial attack or a malfunction. An image posted by @NagiNajjar seems to show an aircraft flying near the camp around the time of the strikes.
Geolocation of the incident was completed by @obretix.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
The victims were named as:
Summary
Sources (25) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (36) [ collapse]
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Photo shows damages to a number of IDP tents in al Furousiya Camp near Kafrayya town in North Idlib governorate caused by a massive blast of unknown sources and type near the camp on May 3, 2021. (Image by Ahmad Rahhal via Syrian Network for Human Rights)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed, and 11 civilians were injured, including 6 children and 3 women, this afternoon, Monday, May 3, as a result of an unknown explosion at a place for raising poultry southwest of the town of Al-Foua in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed, and 11 civilians were injured, including 6 children and 3 women, this afternoon, Monday, May 3, as a result of an unknown explosion at a place for raising poultry southwest of the town of Al-Foua in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed, and 11 civilians were injured, including 6 children and 3 women, this afternoon, Monday, May 3, as a result of an unknown explosion at a place for raising poultry southwest of the town of Al-Foua in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed, and 11 civilians were injured, including 6 children and 3 women, this afternoon, Monday, May 3, as a result of an unknown explosion at a place for raising poultry southwest of the town of Al-Foua in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Syrian Civil Defense)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and others were wounded, most of them women, in an unknown explosion near the Equestrian camp in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Edlib Media Center via Facebook)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and others were wounded, most of them women, in an unknown explosion near the Equestrian camp in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Edlib Media Center via Facebook)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and others were wounded, most of them women, in an unknown explosion near the Equestrian camp in the northern countryside of Idlib. (Images posted by Edlib Media Center via Facebook)
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Caption translation: The Equestrian Club camp explosion, west of the town of Al Foah. (Images posted by @NagiNajjar)
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Caption translation: The Equestrian Club camp explosion, west of the town of Al Foah. (Images posted by @NagiNajjar)
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Caption translation: A large unknown explosion near the Equestrian Club camp, northeast of Idlib So far, the death of a woman and the wounding of a number of civilians, as a preliminary outcome (Images posted by @anasanas84)
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Caption translation: A large unknown explosion near the Equestrian Club camp, northeast of Idlib So far, the death of a woman and the wounding of a number of civilians, as a preliminary outcome (Images posted by @anasanas84)
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Caption translation: A large unknown explosion near the Equestrian Club camp, northeast of Idlib So far, the death of a woman and the wounding of a number of civilians, as a preliminary outcome (Images posted by @anasanas84)
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Caption translation: A large unknown explosion near the Equestrian Club camp, northeast of Idlib So far, the death of a woman and the wounding of a number of civilians, as a preliminary outcome (Images posted by @anasanas84)
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Caption translation: The young Alaa Muhammad Al-Musleh, from the displaced in the village of Qubeibat in the northern Hama countryside, rose to the equestrian camp near the town of Al-Fu'ah, northeast of Idlib, as a result of the explosion that happened a short while ago (Image posted by @anasanas84)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and 11 injured in an unidentified explosion near the Al Furousiya camp on the outskirts of the village of Al-Fu'ah, north of Idlib (Images posted by @ZaitunAgency)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and 11 injured in an unidentified explosion near the Al Furousiya camp on the outskirts of the village of Al-Fu'ah, north of Idlib (Images posted by @ZaitunAgency)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and 11 injured in an unidentified explosion near the Al Furousiya camp on the outskirts of the village of Al-Fu'ah, north of Idlib (Images posted by @ZaitunAgency)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and 11 injured in an unidentified explosion near the Al Furousiya camp on the outskirts of the village of Al-Fu'ah, north of Idlib (Images posted by @ZaitunAgency)
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Caption translation: A woman was killed and 11 injured in an unidentified explosion near the Al Furousiya camp on the outskirts of the village of Al-Fu'ah, north of Idlib Photography: Nour Al-Shami (Images posted by @ZaitunAgency)
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Caption translation: Idlib ... This is how the site of an explosion that shook a weapons depot in Al Foah looked like. (Images posted by @enabbaladi)
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Caption translation: Idlib ... This is how the site of an explosion that shook a weapons depot in Al Foah looked like. (Images posted by @enabbaladi)
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Caption translation: Idlib ... This is how the site of an explosion that shook a weapons depot in Al Foah looked like. (Images posted by @enabbaladi)
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Caption translation: Idlib ... This is how the site of an explosion that shook a weapons depot in Al Foah looked like. (Images posted by @enabbaladi)
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Caption translation: The death toll from the explosion that occurred in the Al Furousiya camp, southwest of the town of Al Foah in Idlib countryside, has risen to four. (Image posted by @AlaaHattabAlaa)
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Caption translation: Idlib ... This is how the site of an explosion that shook a weapons depot in Al Foah looked like. (Images posted by Enab baladi)
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Caption translation: Idlib ... This is how the site of an explosion that shook a weapons depot in Al Foah looked like. (Images posted by Enab baladi)
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Geolocation of an alleged strike on an ammunition warehouse on May 3, 2021. (Images posted by @obretix)
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Geolocation of an alleged strike on an ammunition warehouse on May 3, 2021. (Images posted by @obretix)
Geolocation notes
Reports of the incident mention the vicinity of Al Fu’ah (الفوعة). According to research conducted by @obretix, the exact location of this strike is: 35.967389, 36.681596 . Cross referencing evidence from audio-visual material from sources, we can confirm this location.