People inspect the damage at the site of an airstrike by the Syrian regime that targeted a neighborhood in the rebel-held city of Idlib, northern Syria, on December 1, 2024. (Credit: Muhammad Haj/AFP.)
A drone strike targeting a car near Aleppo International Airport in northern Syria on Thursday killed two people, according to a Syrian official cited by AFP.
The toll was confirmed by the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has a wide network of sources across the country.
The official news agency Sana reported that “a drone targeted a civilian vehicle on the road to Aleppo International Airport,” without giving further details, particularly regarding who was behind the attack. “Two people on board were killed,” security official Ali Youssef told AFP. However, the Health Ministry, cited by Sana, reported only one death.
An AFP correspondent at the scene saw a car completely destroyed near the airport, with shell fragments scattered around.
According to SOHR, the drone strike was carried out by the U.S.-led international anti-jihadist coalition, and one of the two victims is believed to have belonged to a jihadist group.
“The identities of the two victims have not yet been confirmed, as conflicting information circulates regarding their activities,” the NGO noted. Local sources said rescue teams rushed to the site immediately after the explosion.
Both Israel and the U.S.-led coalition have carried out drone strikes in Syria. The coalition has repeatedly targeted Islamic State (IS) operatives in the north. In August, Syrian state TV claimed that coalition forces killed a senior ISIS figure in Atme, in the northwest of the country.
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