Citizen Firas Salman Assad, aged 38, was killed on July 6, 2026, after being shot by gunmen while inside his shop in Dahiyat Qudsaya, Damascus Governorate. This incident falls within a series of violations targeting civilians in Syria, amid growing concerns over the continuous targeting of members of the Alawite community.
According to available information, the attack occurred while Firas Salman Assad was inside his shop in Dahiyat Qudsaya, where gunmen opened fire on him, leading to his death. The victim hailed from the village of Bat’ala, in the Qardaha district, and belonged to the Alawite community.
This incident comes against the backdrop of ongoing reports of killings targeting civilians across several Syrian regions, including members of religious and sectarian minorities. This raises serious concerns regarding civilian safety and underscores the urgent need for independent and effective investigations to hold those responsible for these violations accountable.
Damascus had witnessed a similar incident two days prior, where citizen Ayham Shaaban Rajha was killed after being missing for two days; his body was found on July 4, 2026, on the Ain al-Khadra road in the city of Damascus. Information indicates that Rajha was a resident of the Al-Woroud neighborhood in Damascus, hailed from the town of Junaynat Ruslan in the Dreikish district of Tartus Governorate, and was also a member of the Alawite community.
These two incidents reflect ongoing fears of escalating killings targeting civilians, particularly members of the Alawite community, across several Syrian governorates, including Damascus, Homs, and Hama. This necessitates urgent measures to ensure civilian protection, alongside transparent and independent investigations to uncover the circumstances of these crimes and identify the perpetrators, in alignment with obligations under international human rights law and international humanitarian law.
