Hass refugee camp bombing

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Hass refugee camp bombing

On August 16, 2019, a Russian airstrike hit a refugee camp outside the town of Hass in Idlib, Syria, during the Syrian civil war. Two Russian Su-24 fighter jets from Khmeimim Air Base dropped two bombs—OFAB-100-120 and KAB-500—about 7:25 p.m. local time. The camp was eight miles from the nearest front line and had no nearby military targets.

Twenty civilians were killed, including a pregnant woman, and 52 people were injured.

Investigation and reactions:

Human Rights Watch called the attack a war crime, saying that deliberate or reckless attacks on civilians and civilian objects are prohibited under international law. Later analysis showed the bombing was carried out by Russian aircraft; no Syrian warplanes were recorded in the area at the time.

The strike was part of Russia’s broader 2019 campaign in Idlib. The United Nations Human Rights Council later reported that a Russian aircraft participated and that the attack did not target a specific military objective, marking it as an indiscriminate attack on a civilian area. France condemned the strike and urged an end to hostilities.