(Previous Incident Code: R4645)

At approximately noon on Monday, December 25, 2023, an alleged Russian military and/or the Syrian regime and/or Iranian militia missile strike hit a neighbourhood in the city of Sarmin, east of Idlib, hitting a school, a residential building, and the road between the two. The strikes killed a man and injured at least four identified civilians, including two children.

Sources referred to the victim who was killed as a young man whose name is unknown. Among the injured were a 24-year-old man Abdulrahman Khaled Tawila, an 18-year-old man Ahmed Deep, eight-year-old Rayan Haj Ali, and a six-year-old girl Sanaa Hanoun.

Mohammed Fadhel and other social media users shared a graphic image of the man who was killed.

Writing on X, the Syria Civil Defence, also known as the White Helmets, reported that the strike happened during official working hours and the presence of students in the schools. SCD also showed images where the volunteers are seen transporting the man’s body to a medical point, as well as inspecting the surrounding areas for additional individuals who may have been injured or killed by the strikes.

On X, the Roaring of the Syrian Revolution and four other accounts specified that the two children injured in the strikes suffered from head injuries.

While the Syrian Civil Defence reported that five individuals were injured, Mamdoh Hamdi, along with other local sources, reported that four individuals were injured. Mamdoh posted a video on Facebook where, wearing a press vest, he described the strike that hit the side of the school building, before crossing the street to point out the scorch marks and broken asphalt left on the road. He pointed out the apparent wreckage on the home facade, situated just beyond the road’s scorch marks.

Images shared by the Syrian Civil Defence paralleled those shared by Mamdoh, showing what appears to be the outer cinderblock wall of the school, part of the second-floor wall is blown out, and cinder blocks and other rubble are scattered outside of the building. Other images showed potential points of impact on the road outside of the school, as evidenced by scorch marks and broken asphalt.

Sources were conflicted as to who was responsible, with the majority of sources, including the Syrian Civil Defense, attributing the shelling to the Syrian regime. One source, @TkrytyMr21896 attributed responsibility to “Iranian militias”, and at least one other account on X blamed Russian and Iranian forces.