(Previous Incident Code: R4656)

Shortly before 1:40 PM on Saturday, January 6, 2024, a number of civilians were reportedly killed and four others were injured when a missile strike with contested responsibility allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military and/or Iranian military hit a popular market and civilian homes in the town of Sarmin in Idlib countryside, Syria, also causing a car and a truck to catch on fire.

The Syrian Civil Defense (SCD), also known as the “White Helmets,” was the first to report the incident at 1:40 PM, noting that a number of civilians had been injured and a fire broke out in a car as a result of the alleged attack by the Syrian regime forces.

Later, at 3:12 PM, the SCD on its Twitter/X account @SyriaCivilDefe reported that “four civilians were injured” while the majority of other sources only mentioned “civilian casualties” without providing a specific toll. A tweet from @mohammadnour368 mentioned that “there were martyrs and wounded among our people, including children” in Sarmin from the attack, but no other sources mentioned deaths or injuries to children. The SCD tweet also contained images showing a destroyed ceiling of the market inspected by its volunteer, holes in the ground, and a burning car.

Among the injured were Mohammed Akram Eid, Raafet Nasser Abdulmajid Hashash, and Waleed Halaq, as reported in an image taken of a handwritten note and published by Abdullah Rahhal Taftanaz on Facebook. According to Abdullah Rahhal Taftanaz, Raafet is 30 years old and suffered a flank injury, Mohammed is 26 years old and was injured in the leg, and Waleed suffered a hand injury. Telmens News posted an image of Raafet lying on a hospital bed along with a message wishing him a speedy recovery.

The incident, which also led to property damage and a vehicle fire, was reported by multiple local sources, including eyewitnesses who shared videos on Twitter/X and Facebook. Twitter/X user, journalist Ahmed Shibli (@Ahmad_1alshble) posted images showing destruction in Sarmin, while another user, @zainaldinmahaml, shared video footage of a burning car, allegedly damaged in the attack. According to @SyriaCivilDefe, the strike impacted a “popular market, civilian homes” and occurred near a high school. A video shared by Twitter/X user @mohammadnour368 showed how SCD volunteers were extinguishing the fire.

Journalist Jamel Alhasan made a report from Sarmin soon after the strike and told the following: “A short while ago the Syrian regime struck the city of Sarmin. There are several injuries in the city of Sarmin, in addition to significant material burning/destruction in civilian locations. In this location, the regime forces targeted this truck with a missile. Civil defense extinguished the fire and transported the injured to nearby hospitals.” A truck that was completely burnt was shown in the video.

Where sources identified belligerents, the attack was primarily attributed to the Russian military. However, other sources also suggested that the Iranian militias, Hezbollah terrorists, and Syrian regime forces could also be involved as belligerents. Therefore, Airwars has graded both the strike status and civilian harm status of the incident as Contested.