Explosion at Idlib weapons depot kills 14 and injures 11

A powerful blast ripped through a weapons warehouse near the town of Sarmada, close to the Turkish border in Idlib province, killing at least 14 people and injuring 11, the health ministry said. The site stored arms and ammunition remaining from the uprising and civil war that lasted from 2011 until the fall of Bashar al-Assad's government in 2024, according to the state-run SANA agency. Video posted after the incident captured a massive column of black smoke and multiple smaller explosions.

Civil defence units and Syrian Red Crescent responders entered the area to locate any trapped victims, while one outlet photographer reported seeing bodies being retrieved. The cause of the detonation remains unclear, with officials yet to confirm whether it was accidental, due to mishandling, or another factor. The incident underscores the ongoing danger posed by leftover munitions across war-torn parts of Syria.