Deadly explosion strikes Idlib, killing at least four

Thursday 14 August 2025 - 15:00

A powerful explosion rocked the outskirts of the Syrian city of Idlib on Thursday, leaving at least four people dead and several others injured, according to official and local sources. The exact cause of the blast remains unknown.

Residents reported hearing multiple detonations in the western outskirts of Idlib, the administrative capital of the province bearing the same name, located in northwestern Syria. The state news agency Sana confirmed the incident, reporting at least "four dead and five injured in an explosion of unknown origin near the city of Idlib." State television had initially announced two fatalities.

The Syrian Civil Defense, also known as the White Helmets, stated that one of the victims was a child.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported "a series of strong explosions" at a facility believed to house non-Syrian fighters and a weapons depot. A drone was reportedly seen flying over the area at the time of the blast. Witnesses described thick plumes of smoke and panic among the local population.

This incident follows another deadly episode in late July, when a series of explosions in the Idlib province killed at least 12 people and injured over 100. That event took place at a weapons storage site belonging to a jihadist group in Maaret Misrin, in the northern part of the province. The cause of those explosions was also not disclosed by authorities.