Incident Code

RS2060

Location

خان شيخون, Khan Sheikhoun, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.440813, 36.6493607
Accuracy: City

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: R1926)

Between two and four civilians were killed and up to 15 more were injured following an alleged Russia or Assad regime missile strike on Khan Sheikhoun.

Syria News Desk said that up to 20 people were killed and wounded, specifying that three civilians were killed, meaning as many as 17 were likely injured in the raid.

Aljazeera put the death toll at four civilians.

Additional reporting suggested that many civilians were trapped under the rubble and sustained serious injures. Syria News Desk added that the death toll was likely to rise due to serious injures, such as amputations. Furthermore, the hospital asked for a blood donation through “wireless observatories” from members of the public.

According to Smart News, there were more than four rocket attacks in various locations within Khan Sheikhoun city. Idlib Media Centre added that C5 missiles were used in the raid. 

The majority of sources attributed the strikes to Russia, though Ahmad Sheiko blamed “Al-Sukhoi warplanes of the regime for launching an airstrike on residential neighbourhoods of Khan Sheikhoun”.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Civilians reported killed
2–4
Civilians reported injured
2–17

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the city of Khan Sheikhoun (خان شيخون), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.440813, 36.6493607. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Military Statements

Russian Military Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Russian Military
Russian Military position on incident
Not yet assessed
Russian Military Strike Report
Russia has not reported any specific strikes between April 1st - 31st 2017.
Syrian Regime Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Syrian Regime
Syrian Regime position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (4)