(Previous Incident Code: R4322)

At least one civilian, a Civil Defense “White Helmet” member, was killed and three to six others were injured in alleged Russian or regime strikes on a civil defense center in Qastoun on June 19, 2021.

Anadolu Agency reported that “a Civil Defense member was killed and at least 4 others were injured, as Bashar al-Assad’s regime bombed their center in the countryside of Hama Governorate”.

Various other sources also reported that either three or four other Civil Defense members were injured and a tweet from @fattumabdulfat1 pointed out that one of them was in critical condition. @mohmad515obaid increased the number to “the injury of five other heroes of the White Helmets” and Baladi News added that “six others were wounded”.

A tweet from @ajmubasher named the White Helmet that was killed to be Daham Al-Hussein alongside an image of “a Civil Defense volunteer (White Helmets) crying over his colleague “Daham Al-Hussein” after his death”. A post by Syrian Civil Defense shows the three young children of Daham, who worked with the White Helmets for seven years.

Syrian Civil Defense also named the White Helmets injured: “Hassan Hashoum, Ahmad Al-Nader, Fateh Haj Ibrahim, three volunteers were wounded by shelling by the regime forces and Russia”.

Ebaa News reported that the damage to the Civil Defense center was so extensive that it was no longer in service.

Sources were split over whether the regime or Russia was responsible. Al Araby reported that the “Russian “Krasnopol” missiles” was used but attributed it to “the regime forces stationed in the city of Basqala in Idlib countryside”. However, @shaamnews blamed Russia. Syrian Civil Defense identified both Russian and the regime as responsible.