Between four and five civilians, including a child, were reported killed and up to 15 other civilians injured in alleged Syrian regime or Russian artillery attacks in Idlib city, on September 7 2021. Andalou Agency was alone in reporting that the attack was also carried out by Iranian backed militias.

This attack was widely noted as being the first escalation of violence since a ceasefire deal between Russia and Turkey signed in March 2020.

The area of the city, reported as the neighbourhood Al-Dabit, was described by one Twitter user as being “crowded with civilians” (@Muslim98F16). The buildings most affected by the shelling were reported to include a family swimming pool (thought to be “Al Husari pool”), with one source claiming that a wedding party was also present (@sarkiss18).

Syrian Civil Defense posted on Facebook: “A dangerous escalation of the regime and Russia forces on the city of #Idlib, the largest population center in northwestern #Syria, indicates a new catastrophe… Who will stop these deadly attacks on civilians?”

One of the victims was reported by multiple sources to be Dr Noureddin Ghafir, who was killed alongside his 12 year old son, Majed Al-Din Ghafir. Dr Ghafir was reported to be a professor at the Faculty of Administration and Economics and Al-Nahda University. Some sources mentioned that he was also the Vice President of Idlib University for Administrative Affairs. An adult man Abu Ahmad Sabbagh was also named on Facebook by Abdallah Amiri to have died as a result of injuries sustained in the incident.

Multiple sources mentioned that a young woman, Jude Yasser Shara, was also killed as a result of the artillery shelling. Shara was reported to have recently graduated from an undergraduate degree, and was working in a kindergarten in Idlib City:

“A 21-year-old woman, named as Joud Yaser Shreit, who was a BA graduate in Psychology and the head of al Seraj al Munir Kindergarten for Memorizing the Holy Quran, was one of the victims who were killed in Syrian regime’s heavy artillery bombardment of al Dbeit neighborhood in the west of Idlib city on the evening of September 7” (Syria Network for Human Rights).

Her last Facebook post, uploaded minutes before she died, was circulated by the Idlib Media Center. She had written: “Oh God, good in every choice, and light in every darkness, and ease in every difficulty, the reality of all that we wish. Oh God, by the size of the beauty of your paradise, show me the beauty of the next in my life and fulfil for me what I wish, and comfort my heart. Oh God, the satisfaction that makes our hearts calm, our worries fleeting, and our misfortunes easy”.

Laser-guided missiles were widely reported to have been used in the attack, with Syria Press alleging that it was the Russian ‘Krasnapol’ missile. Other sources referred to the artillery as rocket-propelled grenades or surface-to-surface missiles.

The incident occured during the night.

A major bombardment of the town of Tafas in Daraa caused up to three civilian deaths and up to six more injuries, according to extensive local reporting. Both the Assad regime and to a lesser extend Russia were blamed for the attacks.

Horan Free Media, citing its local correspondent, initially described the death of one young civilian male and six injuries “including critical cases” in the attack. The Syrian Observatory also described the deaths of a man and woman.

All sources were agreed on one fatal victim, 26 year old Hafeza Mar’i al-Rabadawi, a woman. Horan for example noted that “a medical source from Tafas Hospital told the Ahrar Horan Gathering that the woman, Hafeza Mar’i al-Rabadawi, died directly as a result of the bombing, while all 6 injured people were treated in the city hospital.”

Adding some confusion to reporting, a second woman’s death – that of Sabah al-Bardan – was also initially claimed by the outlet, though this was later denied on its own Telegram channel, which reported that Ms al-Bardan was in fact alive. The Syrian Network instead reported the death of Ms al-Bardan, as did several other local sources.

A third fatal victim was named by several sources including Qasioun as Samir Reshan Al-Zoubi, a young man.

The White Helmets, which posted a video showing at least six strikes on the town, declared that “Civilians were killed and wounded in a major military escalation by the regime and Russia forces on the city of Tafas in Daraa governorate.” Halab Today said that more than 30 missiles had targeted the town, while Thiqa News claimed that 50 missiles had struck. It was one of several local sources to report three civilian deaths.

In a separate video, Shaam News showed what it described as “the state of panic and fear among the students, after missile shelling by the Fourth Division militias on the vicinity of a school during work hours in Tafas city.”

The Syrian Network condemned what it said was “the bombing of civilian-populated areas by the Syrian regime which fails to distinguish between populated civilian areas and military targets, resulting in the destruction of homes that threatens and forcibly displaces the residents of those areas.”

Baladi News was alone in suggesting the attack may have been in response to local rebel actions, noting that “The area is witnessing a security alert by regime forces, after a military vehicle was targeted with an explosive device on the Nawa – Sheikh Maskin road, west of Daraa, and the regime’s ranks were killed and wounded.”

The incident occured in the morning.