At least two people died and 13 were injured this Sunday due to a missile attack on a church in central Syria, local and international press reported.
The attack, carried out with a drone, targeted a church that was being inaugurated in the city of Al Suqaylabiyah, in the province of Hama, according to the official Syrian news agency Sana.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (OSDH) confirmed the incident and said that it could be an attack by rebel factions installed in nearby areas.
The number of victims was specified this Sunday night by a spokesman for the Russian Defense Ministry, according to the Russian Tass and Spanish Europa Press agencies.
Initially, one death and 12 injuries were reported.
Two martyrs and 12 injured by terrorist rocket attack on opening ceremony of a church in Hama (photos)
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The attack occurred two days after Russian bombardments left seven dead – including four minors – in the Idlib region, in northwestern Syria, the last jihadist and rebel stronghold in the country.
About half of Idlib province and parts of Aleppo, Hama and Latakia provinces are controlled by factions opposed to the Damascus government, like Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the former Syrian branch of Al Qaeda.
Likewise, this area is home to rebel groups, supported in different ways by Turkey, and other jihadist formations such as Hurras al-Din, according to the AFP agency.
In March 2020, Russia and Turkey agreed to a truce in Idlib and neighboring regions.
Despite sporadic attacks from each side. including bombings by Russian planes, the truce remains in force.
