Incident Code

RS2993

Location

حرستا, Harasta, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.55869, 36.36515
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: R2797)

One civilian, allegedly a child, was killed by an Assad or Russian waged assault in the town of Harasta, eastern Ghouta, Damascus, local media reported.

According to local reports, the incident in Harasta was one out of many that day in eastern Ghouta. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), this was the “most bloody day in Syria in the latest few weeks” referring to the bombardments of eastern Ghouta.

Multiple sources mentioned that one civilian was killed, who, according to SOHR, was a child.

The Damascus Media Center published images of how smoke from the airstrikes rose from, what they reported, were residential buildings.

While most sources reported about aerial shelling, Masrawy News reported that in addition to the airstrikes, 15 surface-to-surface missiles had also been launched in several towns, including Harasta.

Almost all sources, including Masrawy News and SOHR, attributed blame to the Syrian regime. However, Russian culpability cannot be excluded as LCCSY pointed to both “Russian and Assad raids”.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
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
1
1 Child

Geolocation Notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Harasta (حرستا), for which the generic coordinates are: 33.55869, 36.36515. 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 strikes between February 1st - 28th 2018.
Syrian Regime Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Syrian Regime
Syrian Regime position on incident
Not yet assessed

Media From Sources (2)