Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4590

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

طراف مدينة إدلب, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the evening of Saturday, October 7th, 2023, at least one civilian man was wounded on the outskirts of Idlib, Syria, in the bombardment allegedly perpetrated by the Russian military and/or Syrian regime forces.  However, some sources reported that a number of civilians were injured.

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported on the man’s injury in its Twitter/X post around 6:57 PM, noting that the incident happened “on the fourth day of an intense escalation campaign by regime forces and Russia in bombing civilians.” SCD also shared an image of a car with broken glass windows that was apparently damaged in the strike.

Reports differed on who was responsible for carrying out Saturday strike and on the type of strike. Al-Arabiya correspondent quoted by Arabic Syria Post and Al Hadath Syria news reported that Russian warplanes struck the city outskirts of Idlib with missiles. However, in another post by Arabic Syria it was reported that civilians were wounded by artillery shelling by the Syrian army. Therefore, Airwars has graded both strike status and civilian harm status as contested.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @feraskaram01

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (8) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4591

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

جسر الشغورجسر الشغور, Jisr Al Shughour city, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Two civilians, including a 44-year-old woman and a man, were injured and a number of civilians were reportedly killed shortly before 8:56 AM on the morning of Saturday, October 7th, 2023, due to the bombardement reportedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military on the residential neighborhoods of the Jisr Al Shughour city, west of Idlib. The woman was injured by multiple shrapnel wounds derived from the attack. In the case of the injured man, there was no further description. Another strike happening at noon on the day before, October 6th, damaged three mosques, but there were no civilian casualties reported as of now.

A Facebook user Abdulrazaq Alsbeeh claimed that a number of civilians were killed as a result of the Russian airstrikes on the outskirts of Jisr Al Shughour, but this information was not corroborated by other sources.

The reported shelling damaged a lot of civilian infrastructure, including at least two mosques located on March 8 Street, Rabaa school in the city center, and a market. In particular, it damaged the internal structure of the Al-Tamra mosque, the walls and surroundings of the Al-Kareem mosque located on March 8 Street, and the wall of the Rabaa School.

Journalist Mohammed Belaas (@blaas083) shared a video report on Twitter/X saying that three mosques were damaged during the strike by Syrian regime forces and Russian military that happened during Friday prayer jumaa (apparently around noon on October 6, 2023). A local resident said that these mosques were called Al-Tamra, Al-Iman and Al-Kareem. He also added that the strike was carried out during the jumaa prayer time, but there were reportedly no civilian casualties. The journalist also carried a remnant of the weapons used in his hand.

The Syrian Civil Defence patrolled the areas where material damage was inflicted, and shared multiple images and a video on its social media accounts. Jisr Al-Shughur Media Center also shared the images of the damaged walls and roof of one of the mosques.

While most of the sources attributed the strike to the Syrian regime forces, two sources claimed that Russian military was responsible for the incident. Therefore, Airwars has graded both strike status and civilian harm status as contested.

The incident occured at approximately 8:56 am local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace, Religious Institution, School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (19) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (13) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Duraid Haj Hammoud posT
  • Source: Duraid Haj Hammoud posT
  • Source: News now?

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace, Religious Institution, School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • Civilians reported injured
    2
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Education
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (19) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4593

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

أريحا, Ariha, Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Saturday, October 7th 2023, one civilian was killed and ten civilians, including two children (one boy) with serious injuries, were wounded by an alleged artillery attack by the Russian military and/or Syrian regime and/or Iranian forces. Reportedly, Mustafa Wadah Ghandoura was killed; Anwar Eido Al Deek, Abdulqader, Samer Ahmed and Mohammed Imad Qar’iya were among the injured. The alleged artillery attack damaged civilian homes in the city of Ariha, south of Idlib, including two fires in civilian homes.

Multiple sources reported on the event. Notably, Syrian Civil Defense reported civilian harm tolls throughout the day and ultimately concluded: “A civilian was killed and 10 civilians were injured, including two children, as a result of artillery shelling by regime forces targeting the city of Ariha, south of Idlib, which was targeted by regime forces several times during the day.” Other sources only reported on civilian casualties without providing a toll.

In an image posted by @SyriaCivilDefe, a mother is seen with her injured son: “In the presence of her injured son and her dearest son, “Muhammad,” she gently leans toward him, kisses his foot, and begs him to recover. Her face frowns with worry and fear, and she hopes that the danger will go away from him, with her eyes full of prayers and hope.”

In another video posted by @SyriaCivilDefe, a father is saying goodbye to his son who was killed as his body is being placed in a black bag while others try to comfort him in his sorrow.

Mahmoud Al-Othman, a volunteer in the Syrian Civil Defense spoke about trying to comfort civilians during the bombardment of Ariha: “Talin, a two-year-old girl, was crying unnaturally with her siblings, heartbroken. We tried to reduce the fear when we evacuated them from the place, but the amount of terror they experienced during the moments of bombing and hearing the sound of the shells was enough to erase the safety and smiles from their faces and replace fear and terror in their hearts.”

Many of the sources documented the fires that resulted from the shelling of Ariha, with at least one source describing “Houses are burning and civilians are trapped.”

Sources were conflicted as to whether the Syrian regime or Russian forces or Iranian forces were responsible, with the majority of sources blaming the Syrian regime. A post from Tariq Al-Dimashqi accused Russian forces of using “napalm and phosphorus bombs” against Ariha while other sources mentioned rocket launchers and missiles.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mustafa Wadah Ghandoura مصطفى وضاح غندورة
Adult male killed
Anwar Eido Al Deek أنور عيدو الديك
Age unknown injured
Abdulqader عبدالقادر
Age unknown injured
Samer Ahmed سامر أحمد
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Imad Qar’iya محمد عماد قرأئية
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (30) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (26) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @idleb_online
  • Source: @Ivarmm tweeet
  • Source: @Ivarmm tweeet
  • Source: @mzmgr941
  • Source: Editor moment by moment
  • Source: News of the village of Nahlia and its environs
  • Source: Idlib News Network/Idlib
  • Source: Ariha, the bride of the north

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Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    10
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (30) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4594

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

احسم, Ihsim, Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Shortly before 6:22 PM on Saturday, October 7th, 2023, two civilians – a woman and a child –  were killed, and five civilians, including at least two children and a woman, were injured in an alleged artillery attack conducted by the Russian military and/or the Syrian regime forces on the residential neighborhoods of the town of Ihsin in the southern countryside of Idlib, Syria. Crime Documentation Office claimed that Syrian regime forces were shelling the town from the surrounding checkpoints.

Multiple sources reported on the event. Twitter/X user @mzmgr941 reported at 6:22 PM that the intense bombardement of Ihsin was still ongoing and resuted in one death and several injuries among civilians. He shared an image of the clouds of smoke arising over the town.

As reported by Rami Al-Saeed, a child named Rawa Naser Al Zain (apparently a girl judging from her name) and a woman named Haifa Radwan Kanj Al-Youssef were killed. Bader Al Din Mohammed Qassam, Rawa Ayoush Al Zain, Bayan Mohammed Ja’yas, Jihan Naser Al Zain, and the sister of Jihan were reportedly among the injured.

The Syrian Civil Defense reported at 6:38 PM that three children and two women, one of whom was the sister of one of the children, were injured as a result of regime forces artillery shelling. Later, at 7:44 PM SCD updated the information, noting that  “two of the casualties died, bringing the toll of this bombing on the town to the death of a child and a woman and the injury of three civilians, including two children”. Many Twitter/X users reposted this information.

However, Rami Al-Saeed reported a total of four injured; ᎷᎥᏞᎻᎥᎷ ᎷᏫᎻᎯᎷᎬᎠ ᎷᎥᏞᎻᎥᎷ and Al-Muharrer Media Network – the latter basing itself on Syrian Civil Defense – alleged that the injured amount to five: three children and two women. ᎷᎥᏞᎻᎥᎷ ᎷᏫᎻᎯᎷᎬᎠ ᎷᎥᏞᎻᎥᎷ shared an image of an injured small boy being treated in a hospital.

A picture shared by @SyriaCivilDefe showed a little girl with her face and legs covered in blood while two men put her in a bed inside an ambulance. The volunteers of Syrian Civil Defence brought some of the injured of the alleged attack to the hospital to get treatment. Crime Documentation Office shared a picture of an injured elderly man without specifying any further details.

Sources were conflicting on whether the Russian military or the Syrian regime forces were responsible for the attack. However, the majority of the sources reported the Syrian regime forces as the one behind the alleged attack.

The incident occured at approximately 6:22 pm local time.

The victims were named as:

Family members (3)

Jihan Naser Al Zain جيهان نصير الزين
Child injured
sister of Jihan أخت جيهان
female injured
Rawa Naser Al Zain روعة ناصر الزين
Child female killed

The victims were named as:

Haifa Radwan Kanj Al-Youssef هيفاء رضوان كنج
Adult female killed
Bader Al Din Mohammed Qassam بدر الدين محمد قسام
Age unknown injured
Rawa Ayoush Al Zain روعة عيوش الزين
Age unknown female injured
Bayan Mohammed Ja’yas بيان محمد جعياص
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (12) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @mzmgr941

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Rami Al-Saeed

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    Source: Crime Documentation Office
  • Source: Crime Documentation Office

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: ᎷᎥᏞᎻᎥᎷ ᎷᏫᎻᎯᎷᎬᎠ ᎷᎥᏞᎻᎥᎷ
  • Source: Muhammad Al-Hamoud
  • Source: Ahsam News posT
  • Source: Martyrs of Ehsim district posT

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Omar Al-Talawi

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (1 child1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (25) [ collapse]

Incident Code

ISPT0019

Incident date

October 7, 2023

Location

عبسان الكبيرة, Abasan Al Kabira, Khan Younis, the Gaza Strip

Geolocation

31.323417, 34.347364 Note: The accuracy of this location is to Town level. Continue to map

Airwars assessment

On October 7th 2023, at least one civilian woman was killed and at least five civilians were injured in an alleged bombing on the home of the Abu Daqqa family in the town of Abasan al Kabira in the Gaza Strip. No sources identified the alleged perpetrator of the attack – Airwars has therefore categorised the incident as ‘contested’ until further information comes to light.

Sources on social media named the victim as Jawaher Qadeeh (Umm Alaa).  Mokkah Abasan shared that “Citizen Jawaher Qadeeh Umm Alaa was killed and five citizens were injured as a result of the bombing.” Sources do not mention any other injuries or deaths.

Tributes poured in for Jawaher from friends, family and neighbors who saw her as a cherished member of the community. Amani Najjar shared a heartfelt testimony on Facebook describing the late Jawaher as “The generous, generous woman with a beautiful smile, dear to the hearts of those who knew her.” She appears in the attached image as a smiling middle aged woman in a green hijab and embroidered scarf. Her cousin Umm Shatha Qudaih mourned her death “with great sadness and sorrow, and with hearts that believe in God’s will and destiny”. Abu Saleh referred to her as “our good-hearted neighbor”.

According to her possible relative, Amani Najjar, Jawaher is survived by her husband Abu Alaa and her daughters and son abroad. Another source on social media, journalist Tayseir Qudeh, noted her daughter Alaa was in the UAE, and gave his condolences.

Due to the scale and urgency of Airwars’ assessment process, all images have been automatically uploaded to each assessment with the graphic filter applied to protect users. We have also included all images identified from the sources, which may also include any imagery of combatants.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Jawaher Qadeeh (Umm Alaa)
Age unknown

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Israeli Military, Palestinian Militants

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Amani Najjar

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Umm Shatha Qudaih

Geolocation notes

Reports of the incident mention the town of Abasan Al Kabira (عبسان الكبيرة), for which the generic coordinates are: 31.323417, 34.347364. Due to limited satellite imagery and information available to Airwars, we were unable to verify the location further.

Israeli Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Israeli Military
  • Israeli Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Palestinian Militants Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Palestinian Militants
  • Palestinian Militants position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Residential building
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • Civilians reported injured
    5
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Israeli Military, Palestinian Militants

Sources (7) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4582

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

وسط مدينة ادلب, city center of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

During the evening of Friday, October 6, 2023, four civilians (including a boy and a woman) were killed, and 12 were injured (including six children and a woman) by an artillery bombardments allegedly perpetrated either by Syrian regime forces and/or Russian and/or Iranian military on a residential area of the city center of Idlib. According to TV Idlib, two among the four civilians killed were newlyweds who had been married just 20 days before the incident. TV Idlib shared the pictures of their two bodies wrapped in white cloth in its Twitter/X account. The victims have not been named at the time of writing.

Facebook users Khabar and Konya posted images showing the bombardment of Idlib with clouds arising over the buildings. A Facebook user Makhmud Abu Yazan shared a graphic video showing dead bodies of the civilians lying on the ground in pools of blood. A Twitter/X user Alaa Al Dia (@Alaaeddindiab) shared the videos of the men carrying injured people from the place of the attack. In a video shared by the Twitter/X user @Jamil_Alhasaan a journalist said that eight missiles hit the Al Zira area in Idlib and there were civilian casualties.

The Syrian Civil Defence reportedly attended to the area of the incident shortly after it was bombed in order to evacuate and rescue civilians where necessary. They also said in a tweet that they treated some of the injured and recovered the bodies of “some” of the victims. The post shows images of two injured men being treated after the incident, with their legs bandaged.

A Twitter/X user Mohab Nasser (@Mohab_Nasser2) shared pictures of a small wounded boy with his head and arm bandaged in the arms of a man.

Posts on X/Twitter by Omar Madaniah and Rian Almasri featured a heart wrenching photo of the crying parents of one of the victims, a boy whose age has not been reported, who was their only son. The posts contained a quote in Arabic saying “My heart was gone alone, and by God, he took a shower and put on his clean clothes.” Rian Almasri’s post also included a video of the boy’s father crying and saying “I don’t have anyone else but him.”

It is not clear who the attackers were; however, the Syrian Civil Defence said in a tweet that the bombing came from Syrian regime forces. Other sources on Twitter/X named Iran military and Russian military as the perpetrators. Therefore, the Airwars graded the Strike Status and Civilian Harm Status as Contested.

The incident occured in the evening.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (21) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @Omar_Madaniah

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    Source: @Mohab_Nasser2

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    Source: @Mohab_Nasser2

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @TvIdlib
  • Source: Khabar
  • Source: Khabar
  • Source: Konya
  • Source: Konya

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Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Iranian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Iranian Military
  • Iranian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    4
  • (1 child1 woman1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    12
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4583

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

مجدليا, village of Majdalya,  southern countryside of Idlib, Idlib governorate, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Friday, October 6, 2023, the Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, reported that a missile strike allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military hit residential neighbourhoods in the village of Majdalya, southern countryside of Idlib, Syria. It resulted in the injury of three civilians, who were hospitalised, and two of whom later died of their injuries.

The post included a picture of two men, likely paramedics, wearing White Helmets uniforms and transferring an injured male civilian on the emergency stretchers into an ambulance.

Later on the same day, October 6, 2023, the Syrian Civil Defense, as well as other local sources, provided an update conveying that one of the victims, identified as a man named Omar (Amer) Bin Abdullah Al Hussein, passed away at the hospital due to injuries sustained in the shelling. A Facebook user Majdalea wrote a tribute to the late Omar, sharing his image where he can be seen as a middle-aged bearded man in a blue shirt. Following this, on October 8, 2023, the organisation confirmed the death of another victim, a 40-year old man named Samer Al Qasem.

The attack was also reported by numerous sources, including the Syrian Network for Human Rights, the Crime Documentation Office in Idlib, an Al Jazeera correspondent and local media and blogs, as well as the local people, corroborating the location and date of the attack, number of the victims on the day of the incident, and information regarding the suspected belligerent.

On the day of the incident, the White Helmets also shared a graphic video in which three civilians, including two severely injured, can be seen being transferred to the ambulance and being taken care of at the hospital.

While the Syrian Civil Defense, the Syrian Network for Human Rights and the local Crime Documentation Office in Idlib attributed the attack to the Syrian regime forces, one of the Facebook users, Shalan Al Heskawi, alleged the involvement of the Russian military. According to the most sources, the belligerent used artillery to attack the residential areas.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Omar Bin Abdullah Al Hussein عمر بن عبدالله الحسين
Adult male killed
Samer Al Qasem سامر القاسم
40 years old male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (3) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Majdalea

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4584

Incident date

October 6, 2023

Location

بداما, Badama, Idlib, Idlib Governorate, Syria

Airwars assessment

On October 6th, 2023 a missile strike, allegedly launched by Russian warplanes and/or Syrian regime artillery shelling, hit the rural town of Badama near the city Jisr al-Shughur, west of Idlib (during the day, according to photographic evidence shared on social media), resulting in the injury of 14 civilians, including four children and four women.

The strike affected especially the Al-Shakhaib farm, as reported by Syria TV. The Syrian Civil Defence (aka White Helmets), who provided assistance and rescue after the attack, reported on their Twitter account that 14 civilians had been injured, including 4 women and 4 children. One of these children is named “Muhammad”, and he was wounded in the head and left unconscious by the impact – described as “Muhammad does not know why they put gauze on his head and how he was injured. He sleeps from his fatigue and pain with his innocent face scratched by missile fragments, and the colors of blood mixed with the fabric of his nice clothes.”

According to @dulama_1, the strike also hit the house of a quadriplegic elderly man, portrayed lying on his bed with debris surrounding his room, in a photo circulating online.

While the majority of sources attributed the civilian casualties to Russian airstrikes, Ariha TV blamed artillery shelling from the Syrian regime checkpoints. Multiple sources, including @Ahmad_1alshble, mentioned that vacuum missiles were used in the attack.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    14
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (20) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @dulama_1
  • Source: @Ahmad_1alshble
  • Source: @Ahmad_1alshble
  • Source: @zainaldinmaham1
  • Source: @altwylll
  • Source: @altwylll
  • Source: Idlib
  • Source: Idlib

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Al Jazeera - Syria

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

Russian Military Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Russian Military
  • Russian Military position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Syrian Regime Assessment:

  • Suspected belligerent
    Syrian Regime
  • Syrian Regime position on incident
    Not yet assessed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Agriculture
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    14
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Airwars civilian harm grading
    Contested
    Competing claims of responsibility e.g. multiple belligerents, or casualties also attributed to ground forces.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime

Sources (24) [ collapse]