Aleppo governorate witnessed a series of successive explosions early Monday, September 21, beginning with an ammunition depot explosion near the town of al-Eis (southern Aleppo countryside), causing panic among residents as operations continued to secure the site and surrounding area.

The Syrian Ministry of Defense’s Media and Communications Department told the official al-Ikhbariya channel that an explosion occurred at a Syrian army site near al-Eis, south of Aleppo, causing no fatalities, with damage limited to material losses.

The ministry added that military police deployed around the explosion site to secure the area in coordination with the relevant local authorities.

Military engineering units also began securing the explosion site and surrounding areas.

Four civilians were injured, one by shrapnel from the explosion, while two others experienced temporary breathing difficulties. A fourth person was injured in a traffic accident while attempting to leave the area, according to the Aleppo Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate.

The main explosion occurred at around 1:00 a.m. in the al-Eis area in the southern Aleppo countryside, followed by a series of explosions that caused fear among residents.

Explosions continued to be heard, with the latest one occurring at around 11:30 a.m. as this article was being prepared. Another explosion had been heard at around 10:00 a.m., although an al-Ikhbariya correspondent said it resulted from the detonation of a mine left over from the war.

The explosions caused panic among civilians living near the site. Some residents took shelter on the ground floors of their homes out of fear that rockets could be propelled from the site, according to an eyewitness.

According to Enab Baladi’s correspondent, Civil Defense teams affiliated with the Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate were initially unable to enter the explosion site, while engineering and mine clearance teams entered the area.

Civil Defense teams also carried out search operations at the explosion site and inspected surrounding areas to ensure there were no casualties, while teams specializing in the removal of war remnants and mine clearance continued their work.

Engineering teams from the Ministry of Defense also surveyed and secured the site and searched nearby homes and areas to ensure they were free of dangerous objects or remnants, according to the Emergency and Disaster Management Directorate.

The directorate urged residents not to approach the site or handle any suspicious objects and to stay away from the area until specialized teams had fully completed surveying and securing it. It said explosions were still being heard in the area and that the measures were intended to protect residents and prevent further incidents.

Civil Defense teams had earlier evacuated families living near the explosion site as personnel deployed throughout the area.

Security authorities also closed the Aleppo to Damascus highway for several hours, from the direction of Sheikh Ahmad village to the south and Khan Tuman to the north, before reopening it, according to Enab Baladi’s correspondent.

No Fatalities

Aleppo Governor Azzam al-Gharib confirmed that there were no fatalities from the explosion and that the injuries were minor. He said emergency and ambulance teams were monitoring the injured and providing the necessary care.

Surveys were also being conducted in nearby villages, homes, and the area surrounding the site to ensure residents’ safety, check for any additional injuries, and deal with objects or remnants that could pose a danger, according to al-Gharib.

Al-Gharib called on residents to stay away from the site, report any strange or suspicious object, avoid touching or attempting to move it, and leave its handling to the relevant authorities.

As of the time this article was prepared, the Ministry of Defense had not explained the cause or nature of the explosion, stating only that the site belonged to the army. Residents, meanwhile, speculated about possible human involvement or whether other parties may have been behind the incident.

After the Sarmada Explosion

Monday’s explosion came less than two weeks after a weapons and ammunition depot exploded in the city of Sarmada (Idlib governorate, northwestern Syria), killing 14 people, all members of the army, and injuring more than ten others, including civilians.

At the time, the Ministry of Defense’s Media and Communications Department said the facility where the explosion occurred was a temporary storage site designated for collecting weapons and remnants of war before their transfer in accordance with approved procedures.

The department said it accepted responsibility for the incident and stressed that the relevant authorities were continuing to investigate the causes and circumstances of the explosion.

Areas of northwestern Syria have witnessed numerous explosions at ammunition and weapons depots, which peaked in the summer of 2025. The Ministry of Defense attributed the incidents at the time to poor storage conditions.