Incident Code

RS3308

Location

حرستا, Harasta, Damascus, Syria

Geolocation

33.55869, 36.36515
Accuracy: Town

Airwars Assessment

Last Updated: December 15, 2024

(Previous Incident Code: R3103)

Two or three civilians were reportedly killed in an alleged Russian or Syrian regime forces airstrike/artillery strikes on Harasta, March 19th, 2018, according to local media sources.

Sham Network reported that “Harasta was fired on by land to- land missiles and artillery shells, which led to the fall of two martyrs and the wounded.”

Shaam Network and ShahbaPress  blamed both the Syrian regime and the Russian forces for the attack, while Salamtk2011 and @HalabTodayTV  reported that Russian warplanes did the attack.

According to Harasta city page on Facebook, more than 30 raids targeted Harasta on that day, killing two civilians. However, the Violations Documentation Center in Syria (VDC) said there were three fatalities.

Qudspress  mentioned the use of rockets in Harasta and Douma.

Key Information

Country
Military Actor
Strike Type
Airstrike and/or Artillery
Strike Status
Contested strike
Civilian Harm Reported
Yes
Civilian Harm Status
Contested
Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
Causes of Death / Injury
Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
Civilians reported killed
2–3
3 Men
Civilians reported injured
2
2 Men

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
Syrian Regime Assessment
Suspected belligerent
Syrian Regime
Syrian Regime position on incident
Not yet assessed