Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

RS4011

Incident date

August 12, 2019

Location

حيش, Hayish, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Five civilians, including a child, were reported injured in alleged Russian or Syiran regime airstrikes in Hayish, Idlib governorate, on August 12th, 2019, according to local sources.

Orient News stated that “four men and a child” were injured in Hayish “as a result of aerial bombardment by Assad’s warplanes on the area”.

Shaam News Network (SNN) also documented “wounded civilians” in a number of locations, including Heesh, after “Russian and regime warplanes and helicopters launched airstrikes accompanied by very heavy artillery and rocket shelling.”

Orient News wrote that “activists published photos from the town of Hayish in the southern countryside of Idlib, […] where some children sustained injuries as a result of nails sticking into their hands.”

@Step_Agency tweeted that “Russian and regime warplanes launched several airstrikes on the city of Khan Sheikhoun and the town of Heesh in the southern countryside of Idlib.” Enab Baladi reported that four civilians and a child had been injured. According to Orient News, the victims were four men and one child.

The Syrian Civil Defence (@SyriaCivilDefe) tweeted: “The child Mustafa, from the town of Hayish in Idlib countryside, was injured in a raid by Assad’s air force with missiles loaded with nails, while he was trying to flee with his family from the town due to the intense and violent bombing yesterday. Mustafa is now in good condition after being treated by our teams there.”

Shaam News Network wrote that, according to local sources, regime warplanes targeted the town with “C5” missiles fired from heavy machine guns. A correspondent for El Dorar mentioned that regime L-39 warplanes targeted Hayish with “with small missiles loaded with bombs containing nail fragments”.

According to Al Moharar Media, the Syrian regime forces again started to use internationally prohibited nail bombs. The source added that the missiles were used in Aleppo in 2016, but that “Assad forces have recently returned to using them extensively, with the aim of inflicting the largest number of civilian casualties.”

While most sources blamed the Syrian regime for the strikes, a few sources, including Step News Agency, pointed to both the Syrian regime and Russia as the responsible belligerents.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Child male from the town of Haiysh injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (13) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (6) [ collapse]

  • A nail in the ground after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Hayish, Idlib governorate, on August 12th, 2019 (via Al Moharar Media).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured child with a nail in his hand after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Hayish, Idlib governorate, on August 12th, 2019 (via Al Moharar Media).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    An injured child with a nail in his hand after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Hayish, Idlib governorate, on August 12th, 2019 (via Al Moharar Media).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Nails that were reportedly fired during alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Hayish, Idlib governorate, on August 12th, 2019 (via El Dorar).
  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Translation: “The child Mustafa, from the town of Hayish in Idlib countryside, was injured in a raid by Assad's air force with missiles loaded with nails, while he was trying to flee with his family from the town due to the intense and violent bombing yesterday. Mustafa is now in good condition after being treated by our teams there” (via @SyriaCivilDefe).
  • A nail in the hand of an injured child after alleged Russian or Syrian regime airstrikes on the town of Hayish, Idlib governorate, on August 12th, 2019 (via Syrian Civil Defence).

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected belligerents
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime
  • Suspected target
    Unknown

Sources (13) [ collapse]