Incident Code

RS2831

Location

الهلبة, al-Halba, Idlib, Syria

Geolocation

35.567506, 36.782958
Accuracy: Village

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: July 18, 2025

(Previous Incident Code: R2642a)

One or two civilians, reportedly both children, were killed and several other non-combatants were left wounded following aerial shelling of al-Halba, Idlib, carried out by either Russia or the Syrian regime, local media reported.

While most sources reported one fatality, a few sources reported the death of two civilians, such as the Violations Documentation Center Syria (VDC), who said that the two victims were brothers and identified them as the sons of an Awad Ballan. The Facebook account Hibatu Allah identified one of the brothers by his first name. However, that source did not mention the death of the second brother.

Sources were conflicted in terms of culpability. Some attributed blame to the Syrian regime. For example, Fresh News reported that  “Al-Assad military aircraft carried out several air raids at noon today [Dec 31st]” , while the Violations Documentation Centre  apportioned blame to “the Syrian government and affiliated militias”.

Meanwhile, several sources, including Masar Press, Zaiton Mag and @AJArabic identified Russia as responsible.

The White Helmets added that a “fire broke out” as a result of a “huge raid” on the village.

Victims

Family members (2)

Child male killed
Child male killed

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Civilians reported killed
1–2
1–2 Children
Civilians reported injured
1–2

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the village of al-Halba (الهلبة), for which the generic coordinates are: 35.567506, 36.782958. 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
The Russian Ministry of Defence announced being active in unspecified parts of Syria until December 11th, 2017.
Syrian Regime Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Syrian Regime
Syrian Regime position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (3)