Shortly before 9:04 PM  on Saturday, 23rd November 2024, an artillery shelling with contested responsibility allegedly perpetrated by Russian military and/or Syrian regime forces and/or Iranian military hit the city of Ariha in Idlib province, Syria, resulting in at least five civilian injuries, including four children, according to multiple local sources.

The Syria Civil Defense (White Helmets) first reported the incident at 9:04 PM, mentioning injuries. At 9:33 PM, the SCD updated the information, reporting that five civilians, including four children, were injured, and some of them suffered serious injuries.

Facebook account “Editor moment by moment” identified the wounded as a three-year-old girl, Aya Kareem Ibrahim, a 10-year-old boy, Osama Ammar Takou, an eight-year-old boy, Mohammad Jabban, an eight-year-old boy, Mohammad Ahmad Jablawi, and a 47-year-old man, Fardous Mohammad Al Jusri.

The White Helmets shared details about the impact of the attack on the youngest victim, stating: “Aya, 3 years old, doesn’t know what happened… nor what the sound of the explosion was, nor why her leg was injured, nor where the ambulance is taking her away from her warm home.”

Khaled News reported that the injured children suffered from shrapnel wounds and fractures, with at least one child in critical condition. The post was accompanied by a picture showing a child lying on a medical stretcher, wrapped in a crinkled emergency thermal blanket that reflected the harsh fluorescent light of the ambulance it was being rescued. Their small, delicate frame looked overwhelmed by the metallic foil meant to keep them warm. They wore a beige sweater with maroon trim, the fabric slightly crumpled, contrasting with the stark medical setting. A medic from the White Helmets, his gloved hands careful yet firm, held their tiny wrist, checking their condition. His helmet was fitted with a headlamp, a tool meant for nighttime rescues, yet here, it illuminated the child’s face. Behind them, a heart monitor displayed flickering lines and unreadable numbers.

The same user shared on X/Twitter another picture related to the event. A young boy was lying motionless on a hospital bed, his small frame curled slightly to the side. His black pants contrasted sharply with the stark white bandage wrapped around his lower back, a crude attempt to contain an injury that spoke of recent violence. His feet, still in their worn shoes, dangled over the edge of the bed as if he had collapsed from exhaustion rather than been placed there for treatment. Standing over him, a White Helmets volunteer observed in silence. The medical supplies scattered across the counter behind him—boxes of gauze, disinfectants, and an unused IV stand—hinted at the relentless cycle of casualties passing through this makeshift treatment space.

Facebook user Shafak shared a collage of images related to the event on the social media platform. The collage of images captured the harrowing aftermath of the attack, focusing on the medical efforts to save those wounded. In the top left corner, a doctor in black scrubs leaned over a small child lying face down on an examination table. The child’s tiny body, clad in dark pants and a striped sweater, appeared limp, while the sterile, white-tiled walls of the clinic gave a cold backdrop to the urgent treatment underway. In the top right corner, the most heart-wrenching image showed a young girl, no older than three or four, crying in agony as a medic cradled her head. Her delicate gold earring glistened against her dust-covered skin, while her shirt, once white, was now soaked in blood, the deep red bow on her chest stark against the stains. The medic’s gloved hands pressed against her tiny face, trying to steady her, their watch glinting under the harsh medical lighting as they worked to ease her suffering.

In the bottom left, two surgeons, clad in green surgical gowns and masks, worked under the bright glow of operating room lamps. Their hands, gloved and steady, moved with precision as they operated on a patient whose bloodied wound lay exposed.  The bottom right image revealed a chilling detail—a jagged, blackened fragment of shrapnel, freshly removed from a victim’s body, lay atop a folded white gauze pad. Surrounding it were surgical instruments, their metallic sheen reflecting the light. This tiny piece of metal, once part of a deadly munition, had ripped through flesh.

Aros News reported that “medical centers in Ariha were overwhelmed, struggling to treat the influx of injured civilians, most of them children.”

The shelling caused extensive destruction to residential areas, with buildings partially or entirely collapsing. Facebook user Al Moharar shared on the social media pictures of the infrastructural damage.

One picture showed a dimly lit alleyway that bore the marks of destruction, its cracked walls and scattered rubble hinting at the recent violence. Dust hung in the air, illuminated by the harsh glare of overhead streetlights, casting long, distorted shadows on the pockmarked facades of buildings. Electrical wires dangled precariously, some severed, others barely clinging to their fixtures, as if the street itself had been left trembling in the aftermath of the strike.

Two White Helmets volunteers moved cautiously through the debris-strewn road, their headlamps cutting through the darkness, searching for survivors or signs of further collapse. Their yellow vests stood out starkly against the muted gray of the shattered street, symbols of both hope and urgency.

In the background, a small crowd of civilians had gathered, their faces lit by the glow of mobile phone screens as they recorded the devastation or tried to reach missing loved ones. Some stood frozen in shock, while others whispered among themselves, their expressions shifting between grief and disbelief.

Another picture showed a narrow street that was shrouded in darkness, the only illumination coming from the distant streetlights and the beams of flashlights carried by rescue workers. The air was thick with dust and debris, remnants of destruction still settling into the cold night. Crumbling facades of buildings lined both sides of the street, their walls cracked and scarred by the force of an explosion. Jagged holes gaped where windows once stood, the structures now hollowed-out shells of what had been homes and shops.

X/Twitter user @moaidismaeil shared on the platform a screenshot from a video related to the attack. In the picture, one could see the cityscape at night momentarily interrupted by a plume of smoke rising from between tightly packed buildings. The glow of artificial lights illuminated the structures, casting a soft yellow hue over the dense urban area. In contrast, in the distance, the dark silhouette of hills and scattered lights from other settlements could be seen. The smoke billowed upwards in a thick, gray column, dissipating slowly into the night sky, a silent mark of destruction in an otherwise still moment.

When belligerents were identified, sources identified the Syrian regime and the Iranian military as responsible for the attack. Al-Moharer account specifically claimed that “Iranian militias fired shells at civilian homes in Ariha.” Users @Al moharar, @anwaralnahar, @Ahmad_1alshble, and @aboalhodaalhoms identified both the Syrian regime and the Iranian military as responsible for the attack. Facebook user Sada identified the Syrian regime and the Russian military as responsible. When other sources identified a belligerent, they claimed the Syrian regime was responsible.

The incident occured at approximately 9:04 pm local time.