Four civilian youths from the Druze community were killed, and another was critically injured, as a result of direct gunfire carried out by an officer affiliated with the General Security forces, in the village of al-Matouna in the western countryside of Suwayda Governorate, southern Syria. The incident constitutes a serious violation of human rights and international humanitarian law.
According to documented information and the testimony of one of the survivors, the incident occurred at approximately 4:00 p.m. on Saturday, 7 February 2026, when an officer from the General Security forces affiliated with the interim authority, linked to Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, opened fire on a group of civilians while they were present on agricultural land within al-Matouna village, which is under the control of these forces.
Sources reported that the victims had previously obtained official security permits allowing them to enter the village in order to inspect their homes and work on their agricultural lands, despite the security restrictions imposed on the village’s residents since the interim authority took control of the area.
The gunfire resulted in the killing of the following four youths:
Hadi Nassar Amer
Maher Nassar Amer
Samer Kamal Amer
Khaled Walid al-Jaradi
In addition, Firas Ahmad al-Halabi sustained serious injuries and was transferred to a hospital in Damascus, where his condition was described as critical.
According to local and human rights sources, this incident occurs within the context of a recurring pattern of violations targeting members of the Druze community in Suwayda Governorate. Al-Matouna village, along with approximately 34 other villages, has remained under the control of the interim authority since the violent events that took place in the governorate in July 2025, which were accompanied by killings, abductions, and assaults against civilians.
In a statement issued by the leadership of the local “National Guard” forces, the leadership placed full responsibility for the incident on “entities affiliated with the Damascus authority,” stating that the incident involved the “targeting of ten civilian farmers after they had been permitted to enter their lands.” The statement confirmed that direct gunfire led to the killing of four civilians and the injury of two others, one of whom sustained life-threatening injuries, while the fate of several farmers remains unknown. The incident was described as a grave breach of international humanitarian law and a blatant attack on unarmed civilians.
For his part, the Commander of the Internal Security in Suwayda Governorate affiliated with the interim authority, Brigadier General Hossam al-Tahhan, acknowledged that the shooter was a member of the Internal Security Directorate. In an official statement, he explained that preliminary investigations, conducted in cooperation with one of the survivors of the shooting, led to suspicion falling on a security officer who was subsequently arrested and referred for investigation “to complete the legal procedures.”
Al-Tahhan affirmed the Internal Security leadership’s rejection of any “abuse against citizens,” stressing its commitment to holding those involved accountable, and called on residents to exercise restraint pending the outcome of the investigation.
Available information indicates that the incident may amount to an extrajudicial killing, particularly given that the victims were civilians not participating in any hostile acts and had obtained official permits to access their lands.
This incident reflects the continued deterioration of the security situation in Suwayda Governorate, in the absence of effective mechanisms to protect civilians and ensure accountability, raising serious concerns about the risk of repeated violations against the local population, particularly members of the Druze community.
