Fourth Weapons Depot Blast Hits Syria This Month

A series of explosions tore through an army weapons depot near the village of Al-Eis in Syria’s Aleppo province early Monday, the fourth such incident in the country this month.

Four people were injured, according to the Syrian state news agency SANA. Authorities offered no immediate explanation for the explosions, which were heard in nearby towns. One local resident said the blasts lasted about an hour.

Rescue workers helped residents flee nearby homes as authorities closed roads leading to the site. Another resident said he fled with his family to a nearby village and returned to find doors and windows damaged by the force of the explosions. Emergency workers were also clearing unexploded projectiles.

On 9 September, 14 people were killed in an explosion at a weapons depot in neighboring Idlib province, while another similar incident in eastern Syria killed 11 people last week.

Reuters has recorded at least 16 similar explosions at arms storage facilities since former President Bashar al-Assad was ousted in December 2024. Syrian authorities have blamed some on poor storage, fires or deteriorated ammunition, while the causes of several others have not been publicly established.

(Reuters, max)