During the reporting period, military explosives continued to be the predominant cause of damage to heritage assets in Syria with at least five sites hit in Raqqa, Homs, Deir ez-Zor, Aleppo, and Daraa. Three mosques were struck by SARG and/or Russian airstrikes, and SARG forces allegedly damaged Roman columns within the World Heritage Site of Palmyra. The DGAM reported that mortar shells fired by “armed groups” struck the Daraa National Museum, although the DGAM report does not explicitly state which armed groups were responsible.

Terrorist attacks at places of worship have increased in recent weeks. In Iraq, unknown assailants intentionally set fire to the Imam Hassan Shrine in the region of Kirkuk. In Syria, two ISIL suicide bombers and a car bomber attacked the Sayeda Zeinab Shrine, Syria’s most venerated Shia shrine, killing more than 70 people including pro-regime fighters. ISIL has engaged in the intentional destruction of Islamic holy sites, including shrines, mosques, and cemeteries, in order to suppress Islamic plurality, stoke sectarian tensions, and draw more belligerents into the conflict. The execution of Shia cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr by Saudi Arabia on January 2, 2016 has triggered an uptick in violence between Sunni and Shia populations, particularly in Iraq, where strong reprisals by Shia Popular Mobilization Units, intended to fight ISIL, have escalated to attacks on Sunni civilians.

The Day After Heritage Protection Initiative produced a report on heritage assets in the city of Ma’arat al-Numan, Idlib Governorate. The June 2015 assessment reports that the Al-Ma’arra Museum, located in the converted Khan Murad Pasha, was heavily damaged by aerial bombardments, urban warfare, looting and vandalism. The Great Mosque and the tekkiye, which houses a library, have also sustained similar heavy damage. Another report from August 21, 2015 assesses the condition of Maarat al-Numan Citadel.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights released its December Vital Facilities Report, which documents damage to civilian and non-military sites caused by conflict belligerents. The report lists damage to fifteen (15) heritage assets, fourteen (14) mosques, and one historical site. These incidents were not published by SNHR on its website or social media platforms, and the report itself does not provide further information on the situation. As such, the following incidents have not been independently corroborated and remain unverified: