Initial Summary

Locations of Incident: Aleppo countryside - , southeastern (Al-Safira), eastern (Jibrin), and western (Kafr Joum).
Date: March 29, 2024
Time: 01:45 local time in Damascus
Victims: Up to 52 people reportedly killed; the Syrian Archive was not able to confirm the exact number, but social media reports and relatives of the victims indicate at least 40 fatalities.
Type of Incident: Airstrike believed to be carried out by combat aircraft
Weapon Used: Unidentified
Potential Perpetrator: Israeli Air Force

Introduction:

Three sites in the southeastern, eastern and western countryside of Aleppo were subjected to airstrikes from around 01:45 on March 29, 2024, likely conducted by combat aircraft alleged to be from the Israeli Air Force. According to news sources, the bombardment lasted for over two hours.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claimed that Israeli airstrikes "hit a weapons depot belonging to Hezbollah in the Jibrin area near Aleppo International Airport, and … defense factories in Al-Safira, with explosions heard in the Kafr Joum area west of Aleppo."

Satellite image from Google Earth Pro shows the impact sites in Al-Safira at coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844, Jibrin at coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987, and Kafr Joum at coordinates 36.105720, 37.000587, captured and labelled by the Syrian Archive on January 13, 2025.

Reports indicate that the bombing resulted in the deaths of between 38 and 52 people, allegedly including civilians, military personnel, and members of Hezbollah; in addition to damage to buildings within the impact sites.

Since the fall of the Assad government in Syria, a number of the sources that were archived and analysed as part of this investigation have been taken offline. The Syrian Archive has annotated where materials are no longer available online but have been preserved in our archives; if you would like to request access to the archived materials, please email requests@syrianarchive.org.

About the Impact Sites:

The three impact sites are located in the countryside of Aleppo and were under the control of Assad government forces until November 27, 2024.

The first impact site is situated in the city of Al-Safira, which is approximately 25 kilometers southeast of Aleppo. The Assad government forces took full control of the city of Al-Safira on October 31, 2013. Al-Safira is considered a strategic city due to its proximity to defense factories.

Screenshot from Google Earth Pro showing the distance between the first impact site in Al-Safira and the defense factories in the Aleppo countryside, captured and labelled by the Syrian Archive on January 13, 2025.

The second impact site is located in the Jibrin area, about 10 kilometers east of Aleppo, near the international airport and the Nairab military airport. The area is surrounded by an industrial zone and the Aleppo train station. The distance between the impact site and the Nairab military airport is approximately 3.8 kilometers.

Screenshot from Google Earth Pro showing the distance between the second impact site in Jibrin and the Nairab military airport (part of Aleppo international airport), captured and labelled by the Syrian Archive on January 13, 2025.

The third impact site is located in the village of Kafr Joum on the western side of the Aleppo-Damascus International Highway (M5). The village serves as the entrance to Aleppo city from that direction and is near the Administrative Affairs College affiliated with the Assad government forces until November 27, 2024. The Assad government forces regained control of Kafr Joum on February 13, 2020.

Screenshot from Google Earth Pro showing the third impact site near the Administrative Affairs College west of the Aleppo-Damascus International Highway (M5), captured and labelled by the Syrian Archive on July 1, 2024.

What Happened and When:

Information available online indicates that at 01:45 on Friday, March 29, 2024, several sites in the southeastern, eastern and western countryside of Aleppo were subjected to airstrikes using weapons believed to be launched from combat aircraft of the Israeli Air Force. News outlets and activists claimed that the bombing and the subsequent explosions lasted between two to three hours, resulting in fatalities and injuries as well as destruction at the impact sites.

A tweet with a video on the platform X estimated the number of airstrikes at 15, allegedly carried out by the Israeli Air Force, targeting facilities linked to Iranian militias in Aleppo and destroying what was described as "large" ammunition depots. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the warehouses targeted in the attack were affiliated with Hezbollah, and that the bombing affected three areas: the defense factories in Al-Safira, Jibrin near Aleppo International Airport, and the Kafr Joum area west of Aleppo.

First Reports:

The first reports that the Syrian Archive was able to access via social media were from the Al-Zahra neighbourhood news network on Facebook (post now offline, but archived) at 01:52 on March 29, 2024, mentioning "very loud noises heard in Aleppo."

One minute later, pro-Assad-government outlet Sam News channel on Telegram reported news of "violent explosions of unknown origin" in Aleppo.

Screenshot from the Sam News channel on Telegram at 01:53 on March 29, 2024, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 3, 2024.

At 02:00 on the same day, the Sam News channel shared a video claiming to show "air defenses intercepting hostile targets in the vicinity of Aleppo International Airport." Another video posted by Aleppo Media channel (account now closed but materials archived) on Telegram at 02:09 on the same day was titled "Initial Video of the Aggression on Aleppo," featuring what is claimed to be footage of anti-aircraft defenses with audible gunfire.

Impact Site 1 - Al-Safira:

The first reports about Al-Safira came at 01:53, when a Facebook account published news about "bombing on the defense factories in the Al-Safira area of Aleppo countryside." This was followed by news on the Aleppo Today Telegram channel at 02:26 claiming that Israeli airstrikes targeted the defense factories in Al-Safira.

Impact site 2 - Jibrin:

At 02:06, Thiqah News Agency reported on Telegram about Israeli airstrikes on sites alleged to belong to the Assad government forces and Iranian militias in the Jibrin area of eastern Aleppo countryside. This was followed by a report at 02:22 from the Ajel - Aleppo News channel on Telegram, discussing Israeli bombings in the eastern part of the Scientific Research area, as well as the Jibrin area near Aleppo Airport.

Screenshot from the Ajel - Aleppo News channel on Telegram at 02:22 on March 29, 2024, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 3, 2024.

Impact Site 3 - Kafr Joum:

At 02:49 on the same day, the Syrian Army News Network (account now closed but materials archived) claimed on Telegram that there were casualties in the Kafr Joum area as a result of Israeli bombing in the region.

The official Syrian government agency SANA reported a statement from a military source specifying the timing of the attack, which they claimed was launched by Israeli forces at around 01:45 on March 29, 2024.

The first video claiming to show the attack on specific areas in Aleppo was shared by the Nasr Qadim min Aleppo channel on Telegram at 02:08, allegedly showing ground defenses responding to the attack. Another video published by the Aleppo Media channel (account now closed but materials archived) on Telegram at 02:46 showed explosions, smoke, and fires from a location claimed to be in Aleppo, though its exact identification was unclear due to the lack of prominent features.

Wassim Issa shared a video (post now offline, but archived) on his Telegram channel at 03:17, accompanied by news discussing the city of Aleppo and its countryside experiencing what he described as the "most intense" attack in areas surrounding the airport, research facilities, and the warehouses in Al-Safira. Another video (post now offline, but archived) posted by the same channel captured intense explosions, with someone mentioning that the blasts originated from "the warehouse itself," suggesting it might be a munitions depot in the Jibrin area.

From the initial reports (post now offline, but archived) combined with the military statement reported by SANA, the timing of the attacks on the three areas can be determined to be between 01:45 and 02:49 (account now offline but materials archived), starting from the impact sites in Al-Safira, then Jibrin, and finally Kafr Joum (account now offline but materials archived).

Geographical Locations:

The Syrian Archive identified three areas that were attacked based on a comparison of satellite images with reports, videos, and alerts regarding the strikes.

Impact Site 1

Al-Safira in southeastern Aleppo countryside at coordinates: 35.982421, 37.390844

A video from the Sam News channel on Telegram showed fires allegedly resulting from an airstrike by Israeli combat aircraft on the Al-Safira area. However, the video lacks clear distinguishing features to confirm or deny the claim.

Wassim Issa’s Telegram channel (post now offline, but archived) identified the impact site in Al-Safira as warehouses, which news sites and pages claimed were munitions or weapons depots belonging to defense factories (post now offline, but archived) controlled by Iranian militias.

The Syrian Archive could not obtain images of the impact site in Al-Safira or identify prominent features in the videos from Sam News and Wassim Issa. However, a comparative analysis from Sentinel Hub satellite imagery between March 17 and March 30, 2024, indicates changes and damage in warehouses, likely corresponding to the impact sites.

Embedding Link

The left side shows a Sentinel Hub satellite image dated March 17, 2024, while the right side shows a Sentinel Hub satellite image dated March 30, 2024. Both images depict changes in three impact sites in Al-Safira at the coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 4, 2024.

A Google Earth image from May 27, 2024, shows complete destruction in two warehouses within the first impact site at coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844 and 35.983473, 37.392542.

Screenshot of Airbus via Google Earth on May 27, 2024 showing complete destruction in two warehouses within the first impact site located at coordinates 35.982421, 37.390844 and 35.983473, 37.392542 in the town of Al-Safira, captured by the Syrian Archive on September 17, 2024.

Impact site 2:

Jibrin area at coordinates: 36.173254, 37.261987

A video on Facebook shows fires and smoke in a location that the videographer claims to be warehouses in the Jibrin area; the Syrian Archive could not precisely identify the location due to the lack of prominent features. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights shared a video on their Facebook page showing explosions and fires at a location alleged to be a missile depot in Jibrin. Rami Abdulrahman, the director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, claimed in an interview with the BBC that the impact site consisted of ammunition depots allegedly belonging to Hezbollah in the Jibrin area, beside a training center for Assad government armed forces, and near to Aleppo International Airport. North Press claimed that the training center is under Hezbollah's supervision.

Meanwhile, pro-Assad-government media outlets circulated a video showing flames and explosions, asserting that the targeted location was a depot and a fuel station in Jibrin (account now suspended but materials archived).

Although the Syrian Archive was unable to obtain images of the impact site in Jibrin or identify prominent features in the videos, a comparative analysis from Sentinel Hub satellite imagery covering the period from March 25 to March 30, 2024, reveals changes and destruction at two impact sites, likely corresponding to warehouses in the area.

Animated image from Sentinel Hub between March 25 and 30, 2024, showing changes at the impact site in Jibrin at the coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987, captured and marked by the Syrian Archive on July 4, 2024.

A Google Earth image from May 27, 2024, shows complete destruction at an impact site at the coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987.

Sequence of screenshots from Google Earth on May 26, 2023 and June 27, 2024 showing complete destruction of a warehouse at second impact site at the coordinates 36.173254, 37.261987, captured and sequenced by the Syrian Archive on September 17, 2024.

Impact Site 3:

in Kafr Joum at coordinates: 36.105720, 37.000587

A video on Facebook shows debris being cleared from a destroyed building, claimed to be a result of the attack on Kafr Joum; the Syrian Archive could not accurately identify its location. Additionally, the Sam News channel on Telegram published several nighttime videos showing a group of people and vehicles during the initial response at a location that the Syrian Archive could not precisely identify, likely from the impact site in the Kafr Joum area. The Aleppo Media channel on Telegram (account now offline but materials archived) claimed that airstrikes originating from Israeli forces targeted sites in the village of Kafr Joum, identified by a report from the Al-Mayadeen website as points belonging to Assad government forces. Various other news pages and sites reported hearing explosions in Kafr Joum without specifying the reasons.

Although the Syrian Archive was unable to identify prominent landmarks at the impact site in Kafr Joum through the available sources, a comparative image from Sentinel Hub for the period between March 25 and 30, 2024, shows changes and destruction at three points likely related to homes that were attacked. Syrian Archive researchers did not find evidence of other fighting in the same area around this time period.

Animated images from Sentinel Hub between March 25 and 30, 2024, show changes at three impact sites in Kafr Joum around the coordinates 36.105720, 37.000587, captured and marked by the Syrian Archive on July 4, 2024.

Journalists and pro-Assad-government pages claimed that the Israeli bombardment coincided with an attack by Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) on Assad government forces at the 46th Regiment adjacent to Kafr Joum. It is worth noting that the distance between the 46th Regiment and the nearest point identified by the Syrian Archive as an impact site in Kafr Joum, is over 10 kilometers.

Screenshot from the "Wars and Maps" account on X platform showing the location of the 46th Regiment and the village of Kafr Joum within a map of Assad government forces' control, captured by the Syrian Archive on July 5, 2024.

Screenshot of Google Earth Pro showing the distance between the 46th Regiment located at coordinates 36.125427, 36.886013, and the closest impact in Kafr Joum at coordinates 36.105720, 37.000587, captured and marked by the Syrian Archive on January 13, 2024.

Victims:

The numbers of casualties found by the Syrian Archive varied according to sources and their dates of publication.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimated in a report published on March 30, 2024, that the death toll from the airstrikes was 52 people, 38 of whom were affiliated with Assad government forces, seven with Hezbollah, and seven with Iranian-affiliated militias of Syrian nationality.

Social media pages (post now offline, but archived) and news sites reported the names of 33 deceased people who were claimed to be affiliated with Assad government forces. Pages also reported the death of Mohammad Baqer Yahya al-Harak, a civilian contractor who was a group commander for the Assad government forces. Sources indicated that there were civilians among the dead. Reports circulated six names claimed to be Lebanese Hezbollah fighters killed in the incident. The same names, among others, were mentioned in a statement in which Lebanese Hezbollah mourned its fighters, noting that they “fell as martyrs on the road to Jerusalem” (Hezbollah uses this phrase to mourn its fighters who are killed by Israeli forces), without clarifying where they were killed.

Potential Responsible Party:

According to a military source reported by the official SANA agency, the Assad government blamed Israeli forces for the airstrikes. The report indicated that the attack originated from the direction of Athria, southeast of Aleppo.

Social media pages and news outlets also reported airstrikes allegedly carried out by Israeli Air Force combat aircraft.

The Syrian Archive did not find any official statement from the Israeli military through available sources regarding the attack. However, news outlets and social media pages in Hebrew mentioned airstrikes by the Israeli Air Force on locations of Assad government forces and Hezbollah in the Aleppo countryside.

Conclusion:

Based on the detailed information above, it can be confirmed that locations in the southeastern, eastern and western Aleppo countryside were subjected to airstrikes using weapons believed to be launched from Israeli Air Force combat aircraft at around 01:45 on Friday, March 29, 2024.

The attack resulted in the deaths of dozens. The Syrian Archive matched the names of 40 people alleged to have been killed in the attack: 33 of whom were affiliated with Assad government forces, six from Hezbollah, and one civilian contractor who served as a group leader within the Assad government forces.

It cannot be precisely confirmed that Israeli forces bombed the sites in the Aleppo countryside, but reports and statements regarding the incident suggested that the Israeli Air Force was likely responsible for the attack.

.css-68jq5d{padding-bottom:1.45rem;color:#ffffff;-webkit-transition:0.25s;transition:0.25s;}.css-68jq5d:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}INVESTIGATIONS

Israeli airstrikes on sites in the Aleppo countryside

Table Of Contents

INVESTIGATIONS