Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

R4574

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

ادلب, a main road and a camp in Idlib outskirts, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Two men were reportedly killed, one man injured and up to more than 30 civilians were wounded after alleged Syrian regime and/or Russian and/or Iranian artillery struck the outskirts of Idlib town in Syria on Thursday, October 5th, 2023.

Idlib Media Center and Revolution Radio Facebook accounts posted images of the clouds of smoke arising after the bombardment of the Idlib’s outskirts, while Al Arabia and Twitter/X user @pvSScBsybeozsB8 posted videos showing the bombardment.

According to ajournalist Ahmed Rahhal, two men were killed in the outskirts of the city of Idlib, one of whom was a young man Bashar Al-Zee. A Facebook account “Martyrs of Idlib city” posted a tribute to the victim posting an image of a smiling bearded young man in a red hat.

Syrian Civil Defense reported that one man was injured after the strike hit a main road on the outskirts of Idlib. Syrian Civil Defense crew took the injured person to a hospital which was seen on the images attached to its tweet. The Civil Defense also inspected and repaired the parts of the road that had been damaged.

Meanwhile, a Twitter/X user @DeirEzzorre reported over 30 people injured after the bombardment of the outskirts of Idlib. It’s possible that some of the injured were included in other incidents.

The Syrian regime forces were identified as responsible for the strikes by most of the local sources, including Idlib News Network, who claimed rocket launchers were used, Syrian Civil Defence, Orient news and others. However, some sources wrote that Russian forces were involved — including Step News reporting that the strike was carried out amid the flight of Russian reconnaissance planes. A journalist Ahmed Rahhal alleged that the strikes may have been carried out by the Russian and/or Iranian military.

Since the sources identified different belligerents as being responsible for the strike, Airwars has classified both Strike Status and Civilian Harm Status as Contested.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Bashar Al Zair بشار الزيز
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–31
  • 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 (20) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (14) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Martyrs of Idlib city
  • Source: Idlib Media Center
  • Source: Revolution Radio
  • Source: @HalabTodayTV
  • Source: @Step_Agency

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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 infrastructure
    IDP or refugee camp
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    2
  • (2 men)
  • Civilians reported injured
    1–31
  • 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 (20) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4575

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

الموزرة, Al-Mozra in Jabal Al-Zawiya, to the south of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

In the village of Al-Mozra in Jabal Al-Zawiya to the south of Idlib, Syria, a man was killed and a number of civilians were injured from an alleged Syrian regime and/or Russian and/or Iranian artillery bombardment on Thursday, October 5th, 2023. Al-Mawza Facebook user posted a video showing bombardment of the village.

The person killed in the strike was identified as Haji Mahmoud Al Younes from the village of Qaqfin according to the activist Abdullah Idlabi and the Resilient Al-Zawiya Mountain (the Free of Al-Zawiya) Facebook posts, where image of Mahmoud being transported on a stretcher could be seen. It was also initially reported by Mount Al-Zawiya Al-Samud Facebook account that the man had been injured, but apparently he later died of his injuries. This account also shared a video where a number of men tried to carry his body that was previously lying on the ground.

Al-Muharrer Media Network, Orient and Twitter/X user @MohamadDaba9966 also reported a number of wounded people from the artillery shelling of Al-Mozra, without providing a specific number.

While most of the sources reported the strike was committed by the Syrian regime fources, a journalist Ahmed Rahhal and a Twitter/X user @Xd60euW24gEtWPp alleged that escalation came from Iranian and Russian forces too.

Since the sources identified different belligerents as being responsible for the strike, Airwars has classified both Strike Status and Civilian Harm Status as Contested.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Mahmoud Al Younes محمود اليونس
Age unknown male killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 man)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (7) [ collapse]

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    Source: Mount the corner withstand
  • Source: Sarmin today
  • Source: Sarmin today

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @Xd60euW24gEtWPp
  • Source: @mustafakh1997

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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
    1
  • (1 man)
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (24) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4576

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

منطف, Mantef, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Thursday, October 5, 2023, an artillery shelling was allegedly carried out by the Syrian regime forces and/or Russian military on the village of Mantaf in the southern countryside of Idlib, reportedly killing at least one civilian, a woman later identified as Sulaf Abido.

The alleged attack was reported by the Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) as well as the local media outlets, and a journalist, Ahmed Rahhal. Two Facebook users also circulated a list of the names of the identified victims of the attacks in Idlib, its countryside, and the western Aleppo countryside, including Sulaf Abido, who was the only reported victim of the attack in Mantaf.

One day after the alleged incident, on October 6, 2023, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) conveyed that the regime forces bombed the countryside of Aleppo and Idlib, corroborating the information shared by the majority of the sources regarding the attack in Mantaf village and conveying that the strike was attributed to the Syrian regime. An account on Facebook allegedly belonging to an individual, Omar Al Talawi, also suspected Russian militias. As of February 4, 2024, neither of the suspected belligerents has issued an official statement claiming their responsibility for the attack.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Sulaf Abido سلاف عبيدو
Age unknown female killed

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1
  • (1 woman)
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (1) [ collapse]

  • Source: @globalJSN

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 woman)
  • 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 (18) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4565

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

جسر الغشور, city market in Jisr Al Shughour, west of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the morning of Thursday, October 5, 2023, in a town of Jisr Al Shughour located west of Idlib, Syria, artillery bombardement with contested responsibility — reportedly by the Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military — struck the city’s popular market and residential neighborhoods, killing at least one child and injuring at least 12 civilians.

While most reports indicated a single fatality, a child named Ghaith Abdulkhalek Shaeen, one source claimed a total of three deaths, including a man and two children, as reported by a local journalist via his Twitter account @Zelal_katee, accompanied by a video. These casualties, however, were unnamed by this source and unverified by others. A Twitter/X user @pvSScBsybeozsB8 shared an image of a young smiling boy identified as Ghaith Shaeen who was killed in the strike.

The count of civilian injuries was also disputed, with a minimum of six reported injuries contrasting with a list of 12 named individuals injured, shared by the Jisr al-Shughur Media Center. Although the media center did not confirm that those listed were civilians, all other reports consistently identified the injured as such.

The names of the injured civilians are Fatma Hajjar, Mohammed Thabet Halib,Khitam Hasnawi, Ahmad Al Khalif, Raji Abdulrahim, Abdulrazek Saleh, Nour Al Thaher, Mahmoud Khateeb,  Mohammed Duwairi, Hamoud Dali, Ahmad Al Munir, and Khlail Malandi.

Jisr media center Facebook account and other local sources shared images of the clouds arising after the bombardement and of vehicles being on fire. Orient News tweeted a video showing painful scenes, panic and fear in the city after the strike. Syrian news agency SANA’s Twitter/X account shared the images of the firefighters trying to extinguish the fire that had broke out after the strike. Al Arabiya Syria Facebook account posted the images showing the aftermath of the bombardment –  holes in buldings’ walls, rubble and a burnt car.

While the majority of sources attributed the attack to Syrian regime forces, Twitter/X account @mzmgr941 held the Russian military responsible for the strike.

The incident occured in the morning.

The victims were named as:

Ghaith Abdulkhalek Shaeen غيث عبد الخالق شاهين
Child killed
Fatma Hajjar فاطمة حجار
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Thabet Halib محمد ثابت حليب
Age unknown injured
Khitam Hasnawi ختام حسناوي
Age unknown injured
Ahmad Al Khalif أحمد الخليف
Age unknown injured
Raji Abdulrahim راجي عبد الرحيم
Age unknown injured
Abdulrazek Saleh عبدالرزاق صالح
Age unknown injured
Nour Al Thaher نور الظاهر
Age unknown injured
Mahmoud Khateeb محمد خطيب
Age unknown injured
Mohammed Duwairi محمد دويري
Age unknown injured
Hamoud Dali حمد الدالي
Age unknown injured
Ahmad Al Munir أحمد المنير
Age unknown injured
Khlail Malandi خليلي ملندي
Age unknown injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–2 children1 woman)
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (33) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (33) [ collapse]

  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefet
  • Source: Jist media center
  • Source: Jisr media center
  • Source: @Abdalgani1990
  • Source: @Abdalgani1990
  • Source: @Abdalgani1990
  • Source: @pvSScBsybeozsB8
  • Source: @syrianewsag
  • Source: @syrianewsag
  • Source: Jisser.al.Shughour
  • Source: Jsralshogour
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria
  • Source: Alaarbya al syria

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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 infrastructure
    Marketplace
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 3
  • (1–2 children1 woman)
  • 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.
  • Impact
    Food
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military

Sources (33) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4566

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

جسر الشغو, Jisr Al Shughour, west of Idlib, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

Around 5:56 in the evening of Thursday, October 5, 2023, a child and a woman were reportedly injured by missile strikes in the city of Jisr Al Shugour, in the western countryside of Idlib, Syria. The belligerent’s identity is contested, with some sources pointing towards Syrian regime forces, and one source, Ibrahim Radwan, identifying Russian and Iranian militias as responsible for the strike. The sources emphasized that this was a renewed attack on the city on that day.

Following the attack, the Syrian Civil Defence said in a post on Twitter/X that they had treated the two injured civilians. In a video shared with the post, the two civilians are seen bleeding and being taken into an ambulance.The name or age of the two civilians is unknown.

According to the tweet by Radio AlKul marked as urgent, the incident happened shortly before 5:56 PM local time.

The incident occured at approximately 5:56 pm local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (2) [ collapse]

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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
    Unknown
  • 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.
  • Suspected attackers
    Syrian Regime, Russian Military, Iranian Military

Sources (5) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4578

Incident date

October 5–6, 2023

Location

دارة عزة, Darat Izza, west of Aleppo, Aleppo, Syria

Airwars assessment

From the evening of Thursday, October 5th, 2023, and during the morning of Friday, October 6th, 2023, the repeated artillery bombardment with contested responsibility allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime forces and/or regime-associated militias or Russian and/or Iranian militias struck a residential neighborhood in Darat Izza, west of Aleppo, Syria, reportedly killing up to four civilians, including three children, and injuring  up to 15 civilians. Two women, six children, and a Civil Defense volunteer were among the injured.

Syrian Civil Defense (SCD) reported that the first attack was in the evening of Thursday, but the repeated missile bombardment allegedly happened also after midnight, hitting the city’s residential neighborhoods, the popular market, a mosque, and a gas station.

Many videos on social media captured the artillery strikes. On the videos shared by Al-Jazzera and Syria TV sounds of explosions can be heard. A journalist Anas Maarawi (@anasanas84) reported at 12:42 AM on Friday that the bombing already lasted for two hours and was not stopping, while more than 40 missiles and shells were used. He shared a video with the sounds of explosions where the prayer “Ya Latif” (Gracious Allah) used when facing something terrifying could be heard.

A Twitter/X user Mix World (@alking14399969) shared a video of bombardement at 1:29 AM, noting that “the hysterical bombardement of the city” was stiil continuing. A journalist Muhammad Abu Al-Huda Al-Homsi (@aboalhodaalhoms) posted a striking video where he himself had to hide from the artillery while reporting.

Last but not least, a reportage by Syrian journalist M.Faisal (@mhmdfaisel) featured an elderly man who was a witness of the strike. He said the following: “I fell asleep for five minutes, and my neighbours have called me. Come, your shop was bombed. I came and saw my shop bombed. I can only say thank God, in any case”.

According to Syrian Civil Defense, the bombardment led to the death of three civilians and injujries of 15, including two women and six children. SCD also reported that its volunteer Mahmoud Al-Hassan was injured while in his home. In addition, SCD shared images of the inspected places affected by the strikes where rubble and burnt cars can be seen and images of the wounded civilians being treated in the hospital. Darat Azza also shared a video on Facebook showing the injured civilians, including children, being treated in a hospital in Darat Azza.

The Syrian Observatory For Human Rights (SOHR) reported four civilian deaths, where three of these were reported to be children, and seven injuries from the “intense artillery shelling carried out by members of the regime forces”. Syria TV also reported about four casualties. Twitter/X user @Rian_almasri also reported four killed civilians, sharing the graphic images of the dead bodies.

Missile strikes were reported to have destroyed civilian homes and shops, evidenced by images in the Facebook post by Darat Azza. Ariha TV reported on October 6 that there was a large evacuation from the city because of the attacks.

The majority of reports, with one exception, claimed the civilians were targeted; however, a Twitter/X account @SAMSyria0 claimed the strike targeted the city as it was gathering Al Nusra militants.

Whilst a majority of reports attributed the strike to the Syrian regime forces and/or regime associated militia, a Facebook user Ibrahim Radwan attributed all the recent bombings in Syria, including the Darat Izza strikes, to the militias of Iran and Russia. Therefore, the Airwars has graded both Strike Status and Civilian Harm as Contested.

The exact local time of the incident is unknown, but it was reported that the strikes started in the evening of October 5 and continued at least till 1:29 AM on October 6.

The incident occured during the night.

The victims were named as:

Mahmoud Al-Hassan محمود الحسن
Age unknown male SCD volunteer injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace, Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (2–3 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7–15
  • 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,Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime, Iranian Military

Sources (31) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (33) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Darat Azza
  • Source: Darat Azza
  • Source: Darat Azza
  • Source: Darat Azza
  • Source: Darat Azza
  • Source: Darat Azza
  • Source: Ahmed Abdel Malik
  • Source: Bench services
  • Source: Obada

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    Source: @Rian_almasri

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    Source: @Rian_almasri

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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

Iranian Military Assessment:

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

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Marketplace, Religious Institution
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    3 – 4
  • (2–3 children1 man)
  • Civilians reported injured
    7–15
  • 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,Healthcare
    Impact on services or infrastructure relating to education, health or food supply. See methodology note for details.
  • Suspected attackers
    Russian Military, Syrian Regime, Iranian Military

Sources (31) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4567

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

المدخل الشرقي لإدلب ومحطة الكهرباء, the eastern entrance of Idlib and the power station, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On the afternoon of Thursday October 5th 2023, an artillery shelling allegedly perpetrated by Syrian regime forces and/or the Russian military struck Eastern Idlib, including a large electric power station, killing between one and two civilians and injuring three civilians, one of whom was a child.

The majority of sources, such as Syria Civil Defence (SCD), indicated that two civilians were killed whilst three civilians, a young girl and two men, were injured. At present, there has been no identification of the victims apart from Ahmed Haj Ali, who was named as one of the injured by Aawsat News, which reported that a shell fell next to his motorcycle, which caused him to fall and then take refuge in a store before going to the hospital. He witnessed the killing of a man without realising that he was injured too: “We carried the young man, we came to the governorate hospital, and it turned out that I was suffering from a fracture and wounds.”

Striking the power station resulted in a fire and a major power outage across Idlib. SCD teams responded to the strikes by recovering 2 bodies and extinguishing the fire that erupted in the power station. They shared videos and photos on Twitter/X of the injured and deceased, as well as their efforts to contain the fire. Numerous news sources such as Almohrarmedia and Facebook page News of Idlib posted photos capturing the devastating smoke clouds and infrastructure damage caused by the strikes. According to Aawsat News, mosques in the area sounded warnings to civilians not to go out in the streets after the bombing began in Idlib.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), alongside the majority of sources, reported that the strikes were attributed to the Syrian regime. Twitter/X account Marsad Abu Shams also suspected Russian militias, however there have been no official statements taking responsibility from either suspected belligerent.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

The victims were named as:

Ahmed Haj Ali أحمد حاج علي
Age unknown male injured

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    Power Station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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 (27) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (28) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @rewsakurda

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    Source: @alking14399969

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    Source: @creativenewssy

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    Source: @Rian_almasri

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

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    Source: Aawsat news

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    Source: Almohrarmedia news

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Akbar idlib

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    Source: Akbar idlib

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    Source: Idalb

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    Source: Revolution coordination

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    Source: Idlib TV

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: Shadi Al Hassan

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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan

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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan

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    Source: Shadi Al Hassan

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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 infrastructure
    Power Station
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    1 – 2
  • Civilians reported injured
    3
  • 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 (27) [ collapse]

Incident Code

R4568

Incident date

October 5, 2023

Location

سرمين, Sarmin, Idlib, Syria

Airwars assessment

On Thursday October 5th 2023, artillery strikes allegedly perpetrated by the Syrian regime and/or Russian military on the city of Sarmin injured between 10 and 15 civilians, including 3 children and 2 women.

Most sources, including Syrian Civil Defence (SCD), reported that 10 civilians, including three children and two women, were injured and shared photos and videos of children receiving treatment within ambulances run by their teams. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that 15 civilians were injured in this incident, which was a part of dozens of shelling, artillery and missile incidents across the Idlib countryside. None of the injured victims have currently been named.

SCD also shared that the artillery damaged Sarmin’s residential neighbourhood infrastructure and two schools, one which was named as Hussein al Hajj Abboud. Syria TV posted that the strikes had caused civilians to be displaced from Sarmin as a result of the continuous shelling.

SOHR, alongside numerous local news sources such as Idlib Media Center, attributed the attack to the Syrian regime. The Coordination of the Syrian Revolution also suspected the involvement of the Russian military, however there have been no official statements taking responsibility from either suspected belligerent.

The local time of the incident is unknown.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Contested strike
  • Strike type
    Artillery
  • Civilian infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–15
  • 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 (16) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: @SyriaCivilDefe

  • This media contains graphic content. Click to unblur.

    Source: @SyriaCivilDefe
  • Source: Idlib Media Center

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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 infrastructure
    School
  • Civilian harm reported
    Yes
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Civilians reported injured
    10–15
  • 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 (16) [ collapse]