Nine civilians including two women and two to three children died in airstrikes on Sarha and surrounding villages according to local sources – though reports were conflicted as to whether this was the work of Russia or the Assad regime.

According to Shaam News Network,”aircraft believed to be a Russian carried out raids on the villages of Sarha and Jib Abiyad which caused the fall of martyrs and wounded, including women and children“. Radio Al-Kul also blamed Russia, saying that a whole family died in Jeb Al-Abyad when Russian warplanes targeted their house. Alaraby said Russia was responsible for “a dozen strikes” that killed “nine civilians, including women and children, along with about thirteen wounded”.

However, other sources attributed the incident to the regime: Baladi News said nine people including three women and two children died in regime air strikes on civilian buildings in the eastern countryside of Hama. Syria Mubashar also blamed the regime, putting the death toll at eight including three women and three children, with 20 more people injured. It said: “sources (not official) mentioned air strikes from warplanes killed a mother and her daughter and another person from the shaman’s family in the village of Jeb Al-Abyad, a mother and daughter from Achammal family while amputated father ‘s leg in the village Jwe’ed, and also a mother and her five- years in the village of Shoaib Al_huso, and people in Abu khanadeq village in Hama east.”

Hama Agency also blamed Russia and put the death toll at 8. It listed a number of alleged killed and wounded civilians in four villages:

1. Jeb Al-AByad: a woman, her daughter and her cousin (from Shaman’s family)

2. Juway’ed: woman and her two daughters (from Achammal family)

3. Shoaib Al_huso: a woman and a child, and  eight members of the same family were injured

4. Abu Alkhanadeq: one civilian was killed

Hamahnow said four civilians died and seven were injured in airstrikes “which targeted Al-Surouj and Al-Jundeyeh and Jeb Al-Abyad, Qanbar, Hamadi Umar, Na’emeya and Qastal villages”. They did not say who carried them out. Likewise, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and SRG_Syria reported raids but did not identify the warplanes responsible.

In a tweet, Seafalgab555 spoke of “massive air strikes warplanes on Eastern Hama countryside in both Akirbat and Al-Sa’an which led to six martyrs and a large number of wounded.” It did not specify who was responsible for the strikes.

The local time of the incident is unknown.