The city of Homs in western Syria witnessed two separate kidnapping incidents targeting two young men from the Alawite community on 10 and 11 March 2026, within the context of a tense security situation in the city and a rise in incidents targeting civilians. The two incidents occurred in the neighborhoods of Al-Zahraa and Wadi Al-Dhahab. In one case, an armed group kidnapped one of the young men after attacking a commercial shop, while contact was lost with the other after he left his home. No information regarding their fate was available at the time of preparing this report.
Details of the First Incident – Al-Zahraa Neighborhood:
On the evening of Tuesday, 11 March 2026, an armed group attacked a commercial shop known as “Al-Arz Supermarket” in the Al-Zahraa neighborhood of the city of Homs, specifically on Iskandaroun Street. According to the available information, the group looted the contents of the shop before abducting the young man Mohammad Bassam Al-Suleiman, the son of the shop owner, and taking him to an unknown location. As of now, no confirmed information is available regarding his fate or place of detention.
Details of the Second Incident – Wadi Al-Dhahab Neighborhood:
In a separate incident, contact was lost with the young man Mohsen Mustafa Issa, 25 years old, who is originally from the town of Hadidah. According to available information, the young man left his home in the Wadi Al-Dhahab neighborhood of the city of Homs at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 March 2026, after which all contact with him was completely lost from that time onward. To date, no information is available regarding his whereabouts or the circumstances that led to his disappearance.
These two incidents come amid a rise in violent incidents targeting civilians in the city of Homs during recent months. In a previous incident, the two young men Yasser Hussein Abbas and Hussein Hamdi were killed after contact with them was lost on the evening of Friday, 6 March 2026, in the city of Homs. Their bodies were discovered on the morning of Saturday, 7 March 2026, having been killed, several hours after their disappearance while returning from work. Available information indicates that the two victims belonged to the Alawite community.
Targeting civilians or subjecting them to kidnapping or killing on the basis of religious or sectarian affiliation constitutes a serious violation of the right to life and personal security. These rights are guaranteed under international human rights law, particularly the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). This legal framework obliges the competent authorities to take the necessary measures to protect civilians, to initiate independent and transparent investigations into such crimes, and to ensure the accountability of those responsible and the prevention of their recurrence.
