Local sources reported that a family hailing from Al-Suwayda Governorate was subjected to an abduction in the capital, Damascus, while en route to obtain official travel-related documents. The incident has raised escalating concerns regarding civilian safety and transit between Syrian governorates, particularly given the presence of two children among the abductees.
According to available information, contact was lost during the early hours of Monday, May 25, 2026, with citizen Raed Kamal Zain al-Din, his wife Saba Zarifa, their two children—Fajr Raed Zain al-Din (12 years old) and Matar Zain al-Din (8 months old)—in addition to the taxi driver, Safwan al-Qadmani. This occurred after they departed Al-Suwayda for Damascus in the morning to obtain documents related to passports.
Sources stated that the family passed through several checkpoints belonging to the interim authorities on the highway connecting Al-Suwayda and Damascus. Subsequently, a relative of Raed Kamal Zain al-Din received a phone call from Raed’s personal mobile phone, during which the relative was informed that the family had been abducted and that the abductors had demands that were not disclosed. Following this call, communication was entirely severed, with no further information emerging regarding their fate.
According to preliminary information, all the abductees are natives of Al-Suwayda Governorate and belong to the Druze community. Sources also indicated that the family had arrived in Damascus before contact with them was lost. Meanwhile, unconfirmed reports suggested the involvement of a pro-Syrian government entity in the abduction operation, amid the complete absence of any official comment or announcement regarding the initiation of an investigation up to the time of writing this report.
This incident occurs against the backdrop of ongoing violations related to cases of enforced disappearance and kidnapping in Syria. This is accompanied by human rights demands for the immediate disclosure of the abductees’ fate, ensuring their safety—especially given the presence of children among the victims—and holding those responsible for the incident accountable in accordance with international legal and human rights standards.
