Geolocation
Airwars assessment
One civilian was killed and “dozens” more were wounded – including a member of the Syrian Civil Defence – in air and artillery strikes on Basima, local media reported. All sources blamed the Syrian regime for the alleged raids, except LCCSY and Syrian Press Center who attributed them to Russian warplanes.
Only one source – Skynewsarabia- reported on the death of a civilian, but many others did allude to the injury of multiple civilians.
Additionally, Skynewsarabia did not specify where this civilian was killed: “A civilian was also killed and others were injured, including a civil defence volunteer, following the bombing of Syrian warplanes on the villages of Basima, Dir Muqrin and Ayn al-Fijah”.
This was reportedly the sixth day in a row that the area had faced aerial bombardments by both warplanes and helicopters. Raids had reportedly “coincided with clashes between the rebels and the regime forces”.
Reports suggested there were as many as 20 raids on the vicinity, with 15 explosive barrel bombs being used, and “dozens of rockets”. Later sources additionally reported the use of cluster bombs and artillery.
Allegedly, Murqin Monastery was struck and partially destroyed in the raid, as were the city’s water-pipes. There was reportedly extensive damage to the area.
The local time of the incident is unknown.
Summary
Sources (10) [ collapse]
Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]
Russian Military Assessment:
Original strike reports
Russia has not reported any specific strikes between December 1st – 31st 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.”