Civilian Casualties

Civilian Casualties

Incident Code

ISSY-200119-C

Incident date

January 20–21, 2019

Location

دمشق, Damascus, Syria

Airwars assessment

Between four and nine belligerents, specifically members of the Syrian regime military, were killed and six others were injured in alleged Israeli airstrikes on Damascus after midnight between January 20, 2019 to January 21, 2019.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that strikes were carried out in the “vicinity of Damascus International Airport” and gave an overall assessment that the strikes resulted in the “killing of 11 people including 2 Syrian nationals” but did not specify if those were in Damascus or in other locations. They also identified Iranian, Hezbollah, and regime forces as being hit in the strikes.

According to Sputnik News, “four members of the Syrian army were killed and six wounded in the Israeli bombing of Syria last night, the National Center for Defense Management in Russia said, citing partial damage to the infrastructure of Damascus International Airport.”

The BBC reported “A statement issued later said Israeli fighter jets had hit munition storage sites, a site located in Damascus International Airport, an Iranian intelligence site and an Iranian military training camp. The jets also struck several Syrian military air defence batteries after dozens of surface-to-air missiles were launched.”

A post by Free Deir Ezzor Radio included details that “Israeli raids targeting the capital Damascus and destroying weapons depots and military points for the Iranians and Lebanese Hezbollah in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport.” Manartalforat2018 also posted that “The Israeli army is launching large-scale raids on targets belonging to the Iranian Quds militia within Syrian territory.”

The Syrian Arab News Agency reported that the strikes occurred at 1:10am and added that “the Israeli aggression was carried out from above the Lebanese territory, the Galilee and Lake Tiberias, using various types of weapons.”

Step News Agency gave the specific location “a number of Israeli missiles targeted the vicinity of Damascus International Airport, adjacent to an operations room belonging to the Lebanese Hezbollah militia.”

The Israeli Defense Force issued a statement on January 20th that “We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory. We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory.” They did not reference any specific location.

The incident occured at 01:10:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military
  • Suspected targets
    Assad regime, Hezbollah, Iranian military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4–9
  • Belligerents reported injured
    6

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (8) [ collapse]

  • Images from the Syrian Arab News Agency of the alleged Israeli strikes on areas surrounding Damascus on January 20/21, 2019.
  • Images from the Syrian Arab News Agency of the alleged Israeli strikes on areas surrounding Damascus on January 20/21, 2019.
  • Images from the Syrian Arab News Agency of the alleged Israeli strikes on areas surrounding Damascus on January 20/21, 2019.
  • Images from the Syrian Arab News Agency of the alleged Israeli strikes on areas surrounding Damascus on January 20/21, 2019.
  • Images from the Syrian Arab News Agency of the alleged Israeli strikes on areas surrounding Damascus on January 20/21, 2019.

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Israeli Military

The Israeli Defense Force issued a statement on January 20th that "We have started striking Iranian Quds targets in Syrian territory. We warn the Syrian Armed Forces against attempting to harm Israeli forces or territory."

Summary

  • Strike status
    Likely strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike and/or Artillery
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Cause of injury / death
    Heavy weapons and explosive munitions
  • Suspected attacker
    Israeli Military
  • Suspected targets
    Assad regime, Hezbollah, Iranian military
  • Belligerents reported killed
    4–9
  • Belligerents reported injured
    6

Sources (15) [ collapse]

Incident Code

ISSY-110119

Incident date

January 11–12, 2019

Location

دمشق, Damascus, Syria

Airwars assessment

Eight alleged Israeli strikes were launched on Damascus International Airport at 11:15pm on January 11/January 12, 2019.

Syrian Arab News Agency reported that “at 11:15 before midnight, Israeli warplanes coming from Galilee area launched several missiles towards the surroundings of Damascus and our air defenses immediately intercepted them and downed most of them.” The result was “only material damage to one of the ammunition warehouses at Damascus International Airport.”

A military source told Sputnik Arabic that “eight Israeli rockets fired from Lebanese territory to target sites west of the Syrian capital Damascus, pointing out that the Syrian defenses have been dropped so far 6 of them.” They also added that “one of the Israeli missiles hit an ammunition depot in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport.”

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also identified strikes being “carried out against Al-Kiswah area and other areas in the south-western Rif Dimashq.”

According to Euphrates Post, the airstrikes at Damascus International Airport were launched against members of the regime and Iranian forces. However, a post from Shabab Al Soussa identified Lebanese Hezbollah positions as being struck in the bombing.

Free Deir Ezzor Radio reported that the bombing was against ” four large Iranian cargo planes (Hercules), three of which were completely destroyed.” A post from Manartalforat2018 also identified a warehouse in the airport as being involved as well.

Alhal Net added that the airstrikes “hit Iranian weapons stores, followed by the firing of missiles from the defenses of the Syrian regime in the # Almaza airport. Weapons depots of Iran “in the vicinity of Damascus International Airport, near the seventh bridge” [were struck], noting that the shipment of weapons targeted “were unloaded in a warehouse belonging to the Lebanese militia Hezbollah, near the headquarters of militias stationed in the vicinity of the airport.” In addition, “the 91st Brigade in the vicinity of Al-Kaswa, and the brigade 137 in the vicinity of Zakiya in the countryside of Damascus” were also hit.

Haaretz reported that “Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV said the attack was broader than usual, targeting areas ranging from the eastern Damascus suburb of Dmeir to Kiswa south of capital all the way to the village of Dimas in the west near the Lebanon border.”

Israel also reportedly confirmed the strike, with Haaretz publishing “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed on Sunday morning that Israel has carried out hundreds of attacks against Iranian and Hezbollah targets, confirming reports of an Israeli airstrike in Damascus on Friday night. Speaking at the start of the weekly government meeting, Netanyahu said the Israel Air Force attacked Iranian weapons depots at the Damascus International Airport in Syria over the weekend. “The accumulation of recent attacks proves that we are determined more than ever to take action against Iran in Syria,” Netanyahu said.

The Times of Israel also reported that “Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday confirmed that Israel conducted an airstrike against Iranian targets in Syria over the weekend, which he said destroyed a number of weapons caches in the Damascus airport. “The Israel Defense Forces has attacked hundreds of Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Just in the past 36 hours, the air force attacked Iranian depots full of Iranian weapons in the Damascus International Airport.”

Satellite images taken by ImageSat International and reported by Haaretz show “a photo of a structure said to be an Iranian weapons depot from December 23 alongside a photo from Monday, where the structure is no longer there. ISI added that the warehouse that was struck apparently contained Fajr-5 rockets. The company added that the size of the warehouse and of the trucks that can be seen in the earlier photo standing outside of the structure “appear to fit the assessment that the warehouse was used to store rockets.”

There were no reports of casualties among civilians or belligerents.

The incident occured at 23:15:00 local time.

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Known attacker
    Israeli Military
  • Known targets
    Assad regime, Hezbollah, Iranian military

Sources (29) [ collapse]

Media
from sources (9) [ collapse]

  • Caption translation: Alleged Israeli strikes on Damascus International Airport on January 11/January 12, 2019. (Syrian Arab News Agency)
  • Caption translation: Alleged Israeli strikes on Damascus International Airport on January 11/January 12, 2019. (Syrian Arab News Agency)
  • Images taken by ImageSat International and published by Haaretz that show the before and after of an alleged Iranian weapons storage struck by Israeli airstrikes near Damascus Airport on January 11/12, 2019.
  • Images taken by ImageSat International and published by Haaretz that show the before and after of an alleged Iranian weapons storage struck by Israeli airstrikes near Damascus Airport on January 11/12, 2019.
  • Images taken by ImageSat International and published by Haaretz that show the before and after of an alleged Iranian weapons storage struck by Israeli airstrikes near Damascus Airport on January 11/12, 2019.

Israeli Military Assessment:

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

Original strike reports

Israeli Military

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday confirmed that Israel conducted an airstrike against Iranian targets in Syria over the weekend, which he said destroyed a number of weapons caches in the Damascus airport. “The Israel Defense Forces has attacked hundreds of Iranian and Hezbollah targets. Just in the past 36 hours, the air force attacked Iranian depots full of Iranian weapons in the Damascus International Airport.”

Summary

  • Strike status
    Declared strike
  • Strike type
    Airstrike
  • Civilian harm reported
    No
  • Civilians reported killed
    Unknown
  • Known attacker
    Israeli Military
  • Known targets
    Assad regime, Hezbollah, Iranian military

Sources (29) [ collapse]