How Syria’s sectarian violence spread to capital, terrorizing Alawites

How Syria’s sectarian violence spread to capital, terrorizing Alawites
A wall painted with a damaged drawing of ousted Syrian President Bashar Assad is pictured in the Al-Qadam neighborhood in Damascus, Mar. 26, 2025. (Reuters)
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Updated 27 March 2025
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How Syria’s sectarian violence spread to capital, terrorizing Alawites

How Syria’s sectarian violence spread to capital, terrorizing Alawites
  • According to accounts from 13 witnesses in Damascus, however, the sectarian violence spread to the southern edges of Syria’s capital
  • A spokesperson for the interior ministry, under which the GSS operates, told Reuters the force “did not target Alawites directly”

DAMASCUS: Close to midnight on Mar. 6, as a wave of sectarian killings began in the west of the Syrian Arab Republic, masked men stormed the homes of Alawite families in the capital Damascus and detained more than two dozen unarmed men, witnesses said.
Those taken from the neighborhood of Al-Qadam included a retired teacher, an engineering student and a mechanic, all of them Alawite — the minority sect of toppled leader Bashar Assad.
A group of Alawites loyal to Assad had launched a fledgling insurgency hours earlier in coastal areas, some 200 miles (320 km) to the northwest. That unleashed a spree of revenge killings there that left hundreds of Alawites dead.
Syria’s interim president Ahmed Al-Sharaa told Reuters he dispatched his forces the next day to halt the violence on the coast but that some fighters who flooded the region to crush the uprising did so without defense ministry authorization.
Amid fears of wider sectarian conflict across Syria, Sharaa’s government took pains to emphasize in the wake of the violence that the killings were geographically limited. It named a fact-finding committee to investigate “the events on the coast.”
According to accounts from 13 witnesses in Damascus, however, the sectarian violence spread to the southern edges of Syria’s capital, a few kilometers from the presidential palace. The details of the alleged raids, kidnappings and killings have not been previously reported.
“Any Alawite home, they knocked the door down and took the men from inside,” said one resident, whose relative, 48-year-old telecoms engineer Ihsan Zeidan, was taken by masked men in the early hours of March 7.
“They took him purely because he’s Alawite.”
All the witnesses who spoke to Reuters requested anonymity out of fear of reprisals.
The neighborhood of Al-Qadam is well-known to be home to many Alawite families. In total, the witnesses said, at least 25 men were taken. At least 12 of them were later confirmed dead, according to relatives and neighbors, who said they either saw photographs of the bodies or found them dead nearby.
The rest of the men have not been heard from.
Four of the witnesses said some of the armed men who came to Al-Qadam identified themselves as members of General Security Service (GSS), a new Syrian agency comprising former rebels.
A spokesperson for the interior ministry, under which the GSS operates, told Reuters the force “did not target Alawites directly. The security forces are confiscating weapons from all sects.”
The spokesperson did not respond to further questions, including why unarmed men were allegedly taken in these operations.
Yasser Farhan, spokesman for the committee investigating the sectarian violence, said its work has been geographically limited to the coast, so it had not investigated cases in Al-Qadam. “But there may be deliberations within the committee at a later time to expand our work,” he told Reuters.
Alawites comprise around 10 percent of Syria’s population, concentrated in the coastal heartlands of Latakia and Tartus. Thousands of Alawite families have also lived in Damascus for decades, and in provincial cities such as Homs and Hama.

CYCLE OF IMPUNITY
Human Rights Watch researcher Hiba Zayadin called for a thorough investigation of the alleged raids, in response to Reuters’ reporting.
“Families deserve answers, and the authorities must ensure that those responsible are held accountable, no matter their affiliation,” she said. “Until that happens, the cycle of violence and impunity will continue.”
Four of the men confirmed dead in Damascus were from the same extended family, according to a relative who escaped the raid by hiding on an upper floor with the family’s young children.
They were Mohsen Mahmoud Badran, 77, Fadi Mohsen Badran, 41, Ayham Hussein Badran, a 40-year-old born with two fingers on his right hand, a birth defect that disqualified him from army service, and their brother-in-law Firas Mohammad Maarouf, 45.
Relatives visited the Mujtahid Hospital in central Damascus in search of their bodies but staff denied them access to the morgue and referred them to the GSS branch in Al-Qadam, the witness said.
An official there showed them photographs on a phone of all four men, dead. No cause of death was given and none could be ascertained from the images, the relative said.
The official told the family to collect the bodies from the Mujtahid hospital but staff there denied they had them.
“We haven’t been able to find them, and we’re too scared to ask anyone,” the relative told Reuters.
Mohammad Halbouni, Mujtahid Hospital’s director, told Reuters that any bodies from Al-Qadam were taken directly to the forensic medicine department next door. Staff there said they had no information to share.
The interior ministry spokesperson did not respond to questions about whether the forces at Al-Qadam station were linked to the deaths.
Sharaa has announced the dissolution of all rebel groups and their planned integration into Syria’s restructured defense ministry. But full command-and-control over the various, sometimes rival, factions remains elusive.
Four other men seized the same night were found in an orchard near Al-Qadam, with gunshot wounds indicating they were killed “execution-style,” according to a second resident, who told Reuters the family swiftly buried the bodies.
Reuters was unable to confirm independently the details of her account.
Another set of four men were confirmed dead by their relatives, who received photographs of the bodies on messaging platform WhatsApp on Thursday, nearly three weeks after they were taken.
The pictures, reviewed by Reuters, depicted four men on the ground with blood and bruises on their faces. One of them was identified by the relative as Samer Asaad, a 45-year-old with a mental handicap who was taken on the night of March 6.
Most of those seized remain missing.
They include university student Ali Rustom, 25, and his father Tamim Rustom, a 65-year-old retired maths teacher, two relatives told Reuters. “We have no proof, no bodies, no information,” one said.

’ALL I WANT IS TO LEAVE’
A relative of Rabih Aqel, a mechanic, said his family had inquired at the local police station and other security agencies but were told they had no information on Aqel’s whereabouts.
She drew parallels with forced disappearances under Assad, when thousands vanished into a labyrinthine prison system. In many cases, families would learn years later their relatives had died in detention.
She and the other witnesses said they have not been approached by the fact-finding committee.
Farhan, the committee spokesman, told reporters on Tuesday its members had interviewed witnesses in several coastal districts and had two more cities there to visit.
All the witnesses said they felt under pressure to leave Al-Qadam specifically because they were Alawite. Some already had.
One young resident said armed men had come to his home several times in the weeks after Assad’s ouster, demanding proof the family owned the house and had not been affiliated to the ousted Assad family.
He and his family have since fled, asking Sunni Muslim neighbors to look after their home.
Others said they had stopped going to work or were only moving around in the daytime to avoid possible arrest.
Another woman in her sixties said she was looking to sell her house in Al-Qadam because of the risks her husband or sons would be taken. “After what happened, all I want is to leave the area.”


In Istanbul, top Arab League diplomats discuss Iran-Israel war

Updated 14 sec ago
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In Istanbul, top Arab League diplomats discuss Iran-Israel war

In Istanbul, top Arab League diplomats discuss Iran-Israel war
The ministers were in Turkiye’s largest city on the eve of weekend gathering of the OIC
Some 40 top diplomats are slated to join the weekend gathering

ISTANBUL: Arab League foreign ministers gathered in Istanbul late Friday to discuss the escalating war between Iran and Israel, Turkish state news agency Anadolu said, quoting diplomatic sources.

The ministers were in Turkiye’s largest city on the eve of weekend gathering of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), which was also slated to discuss the air war launched a week ago.

Israel began its assault in the early hours of June 13, saying Iran was on the verge of developing nuclear weapons, triggering an immediate immediate retaliation from Tehran in the worst-ever confrontation between the two arch-rivals.

Some 40 top diplomats are slated to join the weekend gathering of the OIC which will also have a session dedicated to discussing the Iran-Israel crisis, the Turkish foreign ministry said.

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi, who met with his counterparts from Britain, France and Germany in Geneva on Friday, will also attend and address the diplomats, the ministry said.

Earlier on Friday, Araghchi said Tehran was ready to “consider diplomacy” again only if Israel’s “aggression is stopped.”

The Arab League ministers were expected to release a statement following their meeting, Anadolu said.

US to move third aircraft carrier closer to Mideast conflict

US to move third aircraft carrier closer to Mideast conflict
Updated 18 min 12 sec ago
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US to move third aircraft carrier closer to Mideast conflict

US to move third aircraft carrier closer to Mideast conflict

WASHINGTON: The USS Gerald R. Ford will depart for Europe next week, a Navy official said Friday, placing a third American aircraft carrier in closer proximity to the Middle East as Israel and Iran trade strikes.
Israel launched an unprecedented air campaign against Iran last week, and US President Donald Trump has said he is weighing whether to join Israel in the fight.
“The Gerald Ford carrier strike group will depart Norfolk (Virginia) the morning of June 24 for a regularly scheduled deployment to the US European Command area of responsibility,” the Navy official said.
The US Carl Vinson carrier strike group has been operating in the Middle East since earlier this year, taking part in an air campaign against Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels.
And a US defense official has confirmed that Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth ordered the Nimitz carrier strike group to the Middle East, saying it was “to sustain our defensive posture and safeguard American personnel.”
Trump said Thursday he will decide whether to join Israel’s strikes on Iran within the next two weeks, citing a chance of negotiations to end the conflict.
That deadline comes after a tense few days in which the US president publicly mulled hitting Iran and said that Tehran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was an “easy target.”
Trump had spent weeks pursuing a diplomatic path toward a deal to replace the nuclear deal with Iran that he tore up in his first term in 2018, but has since backed Israel’s attacks on Iran’s nuclear facilities and military top brass.
A key issue is that the United States is the only country with the huge “bunker buster” bombs that could destroy Iran’s crucial Fordo nuclear enrichment plant.
A number of key figures in his “Make America Great Again” movement have vocally opposed US strikes on Iran, and Trump’s promise to extract the United States from its “forever wars” in the Middle East played a role in his 2016 and 2024 election wins.


GCC chief hails UN adoption of landmark resolution on strategic cooperation

GCC chief hails UN adoption of landmark resolution on strategic cooperation
Updated 29 min 30 sec ago
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GCC chief hails UN adoption of landmark resolution on strategic cooperation

GCC chief hails UN adoption of landmark resolution on strategic cooperation
  • Jasem Albudaiwi describes agreement between the organizations as a major step forward in deepening regional and international collaboration
  • Its adoption reflects the respected status of the GCC as a proactive regional partner in efforts to support global peace and security, he adds

RIYADH: The secretary-general of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Albudaiwi, on Friday welcomed the adoption by the UN General Assembly of a landmark resolution on collaboration between the organizations.

He described the agreement, formally titled “Cooperation between the United Nations and the Gulf Cooperation Council” and the first of its kind, as a major step forward in deepening regional and international collaboration, the Saudi Press Agency reported.

The resolution, adopted on Monday, was submitted to the UN on behalf of GCC member states by Kuwait, which currently holds the presidency of the regional organization.

Albudaiwi said its adoption reflects the respected status of the GCC as a proactive regional partner in efforts to support global peace and security. It signifies a new phase of strategic partnership between the organizations, he added, underscored by concrete plans and activities to enhance cooperation.

He praised Kuwait for the diplomatic efforts of the nation’s mission to the UN in New York, and said the success of the resolution embodies the spirit of unity within the GCC and its commitment to working constructively with international partners across multilateral platforms.


19 injured in Israeli port after Iran missile barrage

19 injured in Israeli port after Iran missile barrage
Updated 20 June 2025
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19 injured in Israeli port after Iran missile barrage

19 injured in Israeli port after Iran missile barrage
  • Projectile slammed into an area by the docks in Haifa on Friday afternoon

JERUSALEM: At least 19 people were injured in the northern Israeli port city of Haifa as Iran fired a fresh barrage of missiles on Friday afternoon, authorities said.
Iran has been launching daily missile salvos at Israel for the past week since a wide-ranging Israeli attack on its nuclear and military facilities triggered war.
One projectile slammed into an area by the docks in Haifa on Friday afternoon where it damaged a building and blew out windows, littering the ground with rubble, AFP images showed.
Israel’s foreign ministry said it struck “next to” the Al-Jarina mosque.
The locations of missile strikes in Israel are subject to strict military censorship rules and are not always provided in detail to the public.
A spokesman for Haifa’s Rambam hospital said 19 people had been injured in the city, with one in a serious condition.
A military official said that “approximately 20 missiles were launched toward Israel” in the latest Iranian salvo.
More than 450 missiles have been fired at the country so far, along with about 400 drones, according to Israel’s National Public Diplomacy Directorate.
The directorate added that the country’s tax authority had received over 25,000 claims linked to damage caused to buildings during the war.
Israel launched a massive wave of strikes on June 13, triggering an immediate retaliation from Tehran.
Residential areas in both countries have suffered, while Israel and Iran have traded accusations of targeting civilians.
At least 25 people have been killed in Israel by Iranian missile strikes, according to authorities.
Iran said on Sunday that Israeli strikes had killed at least 224 people, including military commanders, nuclear scientists and civilians. It has not updated the toll since.


Thousands protest in Iraq against the Iran-Israel war

Thousands protest in Iraq against the Iran-Israel war
Updated 20 June 2025
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Thousands protest in Iraq against the Iran-Israel war

Thousands protest in Iraq against the Iran-Israel war
  • “No to Israel! No to America!” chanted demonstrators gathered after Friday prayers in the Sadr City district of Baghdad
  • In Iraq's southern city of Basra, around 2,000 people demonstrated after the prayers

BAGHDAD: Thousands of supporters of powerful Iraqi cleric Moqtada Sadr rallied Friday in Baghdad and other cities against Israel’s war with Iran, AFP correspondents said.

“No to Israel! No to America!” chanted demonstrators gathered after Friday prayers in the Sadr City district of Baghdad, Moqtada Sadr’s stronghold in the capital, holding umbrellas to shield themselves from Iraq’s scorching summer sun.

“It is an unjust war... Israel has no right” to hit Iran, said protester Abu Hussein.

“Israel is not in it for the (Iranian) nuclear (program). What Israel and the Americans want is to dominate the Middle East,” added the 54-year-old taxi driver.

He said he hoped Iran would come out of the war victorious, and that Iraq should support its neighbor “with money, weapons and protests.”

In Iraq’s southern city of Basra, around 2,000 people demonstrated after the prayers, according to an AFP correspondent.

Cleric Qusai Assadi, 43, denounced Israel’s use of Iraqi airspace to bomb Iran. “It is a violation of Iraq’s sovereignty,” he said, warning against “a third world war against Islam.”

Echoing the views of Sadr, Assadi said that Iraq should not be dragged into the conflict.

In a statement earlier this week, Sadr condemned “the Zionist and American terrorism” and the “aggression against neighboring Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen,” referring to Israel’s military operations in those countries.

Sadr, who once led a militia fighting US-led forces after the 2003 invasion, retains a devoted following of millions among the country’s majority community of Shiite Muslims, and wields great influence over Iraqi politics.

He has previously criticized Tehran-backed Iraqi armed factions, who have threatened US interests in the region if the United States were to join Israel in its war against Iran.

On Friday, Israel launched a surprise attack targeting Iran’s military and nuclear sites and killing top commanders and scientists, saying it was acting to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon, an ambition Tehran denies having.

The assault has prompted Iran to retaliate with barrages of missiles aimed at Israel, with residential areas in both countries suffering.

Iraq is both a significant ally of Iran and a strategic partner of Israel’s key supporter, the United States, and has for years negotiated a delicate balancing act between the two foes.

It has only recently regained a semblance of stability after decades of devastating conflicts and turmoil.