Gunmen have reportedly killed 13 individuals in predominantly Shia villages located in Syria’s Homs province
In Syria's Homs Province, at least 13 individuals have lost their lives following a series of raids conducted by forces associated with the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham administration and local armed groups in Shia-majority villages.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Thursday that the Military Operations Administration, supported by local armed groups, launched a “significant security campaign” in the western rural areas of Homs, located in western Syria.
A recent report indicates that four civilians were killed in what have been described as unlawful extrajudicial executions in the villages of al-Ghozaylah al-Gharbiyah and al-Hamam. Additionally, ten individuals sustained injuries, and five others were detained during the operation.
On Thursday, the organization reported that security forces detained five individuals in the village of al-Kanisah.
Authorities have detained an additional three individuals in Tarin village following an incident where three people sustained injuries due to indiscriminate gunfire.
In Kafrnan village, authorities detained 27 individuals, with reports also emerging of several injuries.
The group reported numerous incidents of assaults and abuses directed at local residents, which included being compelled to mimic animal noises such as braying and barking. Additionally, they noted the destruction of tombstones in the area.
Later in the day, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that unidentified assailants carried out an extrajudicial killing in Tasnin village, located in the northern rural area of Homa. The attackers reportedly raided the man’s home before fatally shooting him.
In the village of al-Shinyah, situated northwest of Homs, authorities have recovered four bodies.
In a tragic incident east of Maryamin village, unidentified gunmen shot and killed four individuals and wounded two others. The attack reportedly occurred after the victims declined to take down images of their religious authorities.
On Tuesday, a military operation by forces from the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration resulted in the deaths of at least six individuals in al-Ghor Al-Gharbiya village, a predominately Shia minority community. The campaign targeted alleged remnants of the former government under President Bashar Al-Assad.
In recent days, HTS authorities have initiated operations targeting individuals labeled as “wanted” and “armed,” who reportedly refuse to reach a settlement or surrender their weapons.
The observatory has reported that since the beginning of 2025, a total of 83 retaliatory actions have occurred across various provinces in Syria. These operations have resulted in the deaths of 166 individuals, including five women, attributed to sectarian affiliations.
The recent attacks occur amidst efforts by the HTS administration to reassure religious and ethnic minority groups of the protection of their rights.
On December 8, 2024, militant forces, including the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham group, successfully took control of Damascus, resulting in President Bashar al-Assad’s departure from Syria.
