On October 28, 2025, a civilian passenger bus was attacked by gunfire on the Damascus–As-Suwayda highway, specifically near the Marjana station and gas station in the Damascus countryside — an area under the control of the so-called “General Security” affiliated with the interim authority of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — while the bus was returning from Damascus to As-Suwayda.
The direct gunfire attack resulted in the death of two people, Aya Salam and Kamal Abdel Baqi, and the injury of at least eleven others, some critically, according to medical and local sources.
The bus was attacked in an area heavily patrolled by “General Security” checkpoints, leading to heightened tension in the region.
The victims belong to the Druze minority, and the incident occurs within a broader context of increasing killings, sectarian violence, and kidnappings targeting minorities in Syria, as well as a growing lack of safety on the roads—particularly on the Damascus–As-Suwayda route—amid recurrent armed clashes following Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham’s takeover of power.
