Syria: One dead and XNUMX injured in a drone attack on a church near Hama

One person was killed and 12 others injured in Syria on Sunday when a drone fired by rebel factions targeted a church inauguration ceremony in central Hama province, the official Sana news agency said.

Initially, the Syrian news agency reported two dead and 12 injured "by a rocket launched by terrorist organizations against a religious gathering in the town of al-Suqaylabiyah near Hama".

In its new version, it indicates that the attack was carried out by a booby-trapped drone and claimed the life of a civilian and injured twelve other people.

For its part, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH), which has an extensive network of sources in Syria, confirmed the shooting, considering that it could be a shell or a drone attack by rebel factions, positioned in nearby areas.

The OSDH reported one civilian killed and several injured.

This attack comes two days after Russian bombardments which killed seven people, including four children, in the region of Idlib, the last great jihadist and rebel stronghold in the country.

About half of the province of Idleb, as well as parts of the provinces of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia are controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of Al-Qaeda.

This area is also home to rebel groups, supported to varying degrees by Turkey, and other jihadist formations, such as Houras al-Din.

In March 2020, Russia and Turkey concluded a truce which concerns Idleb and neighboring areas. That truce still holds despite sporadic attacks from both sides, including continued Russian airstrikes.

Since its outbreak in 2011, the Syrian conflict has killed around half a million people, devastated infrastructure and caused the largest displacement of people since World War II.

The Editorial Board (with AFP)

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