Five Killed in Massive Ammunition Depot Explosion in Idlib

ERBIL (Kurdistan24) – A large explosion struck the town of Kafr Takharim in northern Idlib province on Wednesday, Nov. 26, 2025, killing five civilians and injuring nine others, according to the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA). The blast occurred inside an ammunition depot located within a residential neighborhood, triggering widespread panic and drawing extensive emergency response efforts.

Local officials in Kafr Takharim confirmed that several of the victims remain trapped under the rubble of the destroyed depot. Rescue teams continue to work intensively to locate and retrieve those still missing.

The director of Kafr Takharim stated that the number of casualties is expected to rise as search operations proceed, noting that emergency crews are “actively engaged in recovering and rescuing those still under the debris.”

Security forces in Idlib announced that preliminary investigations indicate the explosion originated from work conducted inside a facility adjacent to the depot. The Internal Security Directorate in Idlib said in a statement that “a major explosion occurred in the northern sector of Kafr Takharim, and initial findings suggest that the blast was triggered during operations inside a workshop near the site.”

An ammunition depot explosion injured civilians in Idlib's Kafr Takharim, with local sources blaming a faction's weapons storage in a residential area.

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— Kurdistan 24 English (@K24English) November 26, 2025

The explosion in Idlib comes at a moment when Syria is witnessing one of its most significant episodes of Alawite civil mobilization in more than a decade—a sweeping Alawite-led protest movement across the coastal provinces, triggered by escalating violations, sectarian targeting, and deepening marginalization.

In an unprecedented surge of public defiance, tens of thousands of Alawite citizens poured into the streets of Jableh, Latakia, Tartous, Baniyas, and parts of Hama and Homs, responding to the call of Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, head of Syria’s Higher Alawite Islamic Council. The movement has expanded across 42 documented protest points, marking the largest coastal uprising since 2011.

The city of Jableh in Latakia province emerged as the heart of the demonstrations, with thousands gathering at major intersections including Douar al-‘Imara, the Belt Road junction, al-Farwa, and the hospital intersection. The protests soon spread to surrounding countryside areas such as al-Daliyah, Beit Yashout, al-Qutailibiyah, Ain al-Sharqiyah, Ain Shaqaq, Zama, al-Qubeisa, and al-Huwayz.

Demonstrators held banners condemning sectarian killings and discriminatory policies, chanting in support of Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal’s initiative and calling for a federal state, the release of detainees, and an end to ongoing violations.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), simultaneous pro-Sharā’a demonstrations erupted in Jableh and Latakia, leading to clashes that resulted in injuries among protesters demanding justice and dignity. Participants told SOHR that their movement is not a quest for power but a response to a year of systemic marginalization and sectarian abuses. They emphasized that Alawites themselves have suffered from the authorities’ practices, and stressed their demand for a federal state governed by law—ensuring equality without deepening sectarian divisions.

In an exclusive statement to Kurdistan24, the SOHR manager described the movement as a massive peaceful Alawite uprising unseen in the coastal provinces since 2011. He confirmed that tens of thousands of protesters marched across Latakia, Tartous, Baniyas, Jableh, Qardaha, and rural parts of Hama and Homs, adding that the conduct of the temporary Syrian authority had pushed the community to rally unanimously behind Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal.

He further revealed exclusive information indicating unusual internal mobilizations within Syrian state institutions, including preparations to deploy additional security and military units to the coast—moves believed to be aimed at curbing the expanding protest movement. These measures are reportedly taking place under strict secrecy amid fears of widening unrest.

Against this backdrop of nationwide tensions, the Democratic Autonomous Administration of North and East Syria (DAANES) issued a statement regarding the latest developments across Syria, declaring support for the legitimate demands of peaceful protesters. The Administration warned that ongoing attacks on civilians serve only to deepen societal fragmentation.

The statement, released on 26 Mijdar, highlighted that hundreds of people took to the streets in Latakia and several Alawite-majority areas demanding the release of detainees and an end to violations.

DAANES stated:

“We express our full support for the Syrian people’s demands for democracy, justice, and equality. Attacking peaceful protesters constitutes a direct assault on internal peace.”

The Administration called on the “transitional government in Damascus” to respect the will of the people in the coastal region, the Euphrates region, the south, and all other areas, urging an end to the use of force.

The statement warned:
“The escalation of violence in Homs, the Euphrates region, and Sweida will have serious consequences for the country’s future. The solution lies in building a democratic, decentralized Syria that ends the era of chauvinism and dictatorship.”

In its concluding message, DAANES stressed the need for a genuine national dialogue built on three pillars:
peace, dialogue, and the establishment of a new democratic and decentralized Syria.

The explosion in Kafr Takharim unfolds amid rapidly escalating political and social unrest in Syria, as Alawite-majority regions witness unprecedented mobilization and the Democratic Autonomous Administration affirms its support for nationwide demands for justice and democracy. With no official comment yet on the Idlib blast.

Updated on Nov. 26, 2025, at 08:30 PM