(Previous Incident Code: R721)

Between nine and 13 civilians including four children were reported killed  – and 20-24 others were wounded – in an alleged Russian airstrike on the Al-Thar’ra bakery in Hraytan, according to local sources.

Among the victims were personnel and customers of the bakery, including four children. The strike also hit several cars that were parked nearby, said Al Araby news.

Shaam News Network initially said that “an aerial bombardment by Russian warplanes” struck the bakery at a time when families were there purchasing their bread. It described it as a “horrific massacre” leaving dozens dead and wounded. Activists told the network that “more than nine civilians were killed, including the furnace workers” as the bakery’s oven was directly targeted. However, there was some confusion in Shaam’s reporting as it later appeared to blame the regime. In a video the reporter says: “We are now in the bakery at Hraitan that was bombed by Assad’s forces. You can see the extent of the damage. Ten martyrs were killed as a result of the bombing. All of them were civilians who had come to get their bread”. The next man speaking says that “Russian planes targeted the city with several missiles, two of them hit the only bakery serving the town. Ten people were killed and more than twenty injured.”

Initial posts by the Syrian Network for Human Rights said this was a regime attack. But in a later report, it went on to allege that Russia was responsible and put the death toll at 11, including a child. Alamawi also reported the death of a young girl (see photo) and a man. Hraitan City also attributed the incident to Russia, publishing footage of the aftermath of the strikes, which included images of remnants of cluster bombs.

According to the White Helmets, 10 people died and many more were wounded after a “warplane” launched a raid on the bakery – though they did not identify the plane. They also published a video of members of their team removing unexploded cluster bombs.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said: “Warplanes bombarded the al-Shahba oven area in Hretan, killing 7 civilians and wounded others in addition to damaging civilian property.”

LCCSY did not say who was responsible but named eight victims.

The Syrian Human Rights Committee put the death toll at 12 at least, listed the same victims, and added the name of Aboud Suleiman. Orient News said 13 were killed.