Fires in Opposition-Held Town East of Idlib Reportedly Caused by Incendiary Bombs

An activist in Saraqib captured the moment a series of alleged incendiary munitions struck the opposition-controlled town on April 9. Prominent activist Hadi Al-Abdallah claimed the munitions were phosphorous bombs that started fires in the area.While the use of incendiary cluster munitions could not be independently verified by Storyful, their effects bear a marked similarity in color and brightness to cluster and phosphorus bombs, which have been seen used in northwestern areas of Syria controlled by the opposition.Activists and opposition groups in Syria have repeatedly reported on the use of cluster munitions by Syrian and Russian forces over the past year. Human Rights Watch identified the use of the RBK-500 SPBE cluster bomb in the conflict. It is banned by the Convention on Cluster Munitions, which neither Russia nor Syria are party to.