Late on November 13, two loud explosions were heard over the northern city of Raqqa, which is controlled by the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces.
The explosions shattered the windows of a number of houses and shops in Raqqa’s city center. However, no civilians were injured.
Opposition sources claimed that the explosions were caused by warplanes of the U.S.-led coalition, which launched missiles while flying over Raqqa city. The missiles allegedly hit Iranian forces’ positions in southern Raqqa.
These claims were not only denied by pro-government sources, but also by the U.S.-led coalition itself. A spokesman for the coalition told Al Monitor journalist Jared Szuba that no airstrikes were carried out in Raqqa on November 13.
A US-led coalition spokesperson tells me @CJTFOIR did not conduct any airstrikes in Raqqa today. @CENTCOM referred a question on the matter to @CJTFOIR #Syria https://t.co/XdUXTFt1X3
— Jared Szuba (@JM_Szuba) November 13, 2020
After the explosions, shrapnel were found by the locals in different parts of Raqqa city. This further confirms that the explosions were not the result of a missile launch by U.S.-led coalition.
Bilgi
Raqqa’da İran veya Rejim milislerine herhangi bir hava saldırısı yok.
Menbiç’de ise havadan havaya atılan füze parçaları patlama sonrası yerleşim yerlerine düştü. Sonik patlama değil. Sanırım Rejim ve Rusya birşyler çeviriyor. pic.twitter.com/NPgbgEDnU0
— #Lêkolîn (@XSyrians_North) November 13, 2020
Some experts speculated that the explosions were caused by air-to-air missiles fired by Syrian or Russian warplanes at hostile drones heading to government-held areas.
Earlier this year, similar explosions were reported over Turkish-occupied areas in northern Aleppo and the northwestern region of Greater Idlib. This indicates that the Russian Aerospace Forces and the Syrian Arab Air Force may be indeed responsible for the mysterious explosions over Raqqa.
