Documentation of the Killing of Two Shia Citizens in Separate Attacks North of Aleppo and in Damascus Amid Fears of Escalating Sectarian-Motivated Violence
Rights Monitor Syria has documented the killing of two citizens belonging to the Shia community in two separate incidents that occurred in the countryside of Aleppo and the city of Damascus on June 13 and 14, 2026. This comes amid persistent fears of an escalation in acts of violence and targeting of civilians on grounds suspected to be linked to sectarian affiliation.
In the northern countryside of Aleppo, Diyaa Faraj Hammoud, a young man from the Shia community originally from the town of Al-Zahraa, was killed after being found dead at his workplace on June 14, 2026. According to available information, the victim was working as a night guard at a stone quarry in the Al-Tamoura area, located near his hometown, where his body was discovered inside the worksite.
In another incident, Mohammad Haidar, a young man from the Shia community, was killed following an armed attack targeting his home in the Al-Bahdaliya neighborhood in the Sayyida Zeinab area of Damascus. According to available information, gunmen riding a motorcycle arrived at the victim’s house on Saturday, June 13, 2026, before opening fire on him inside his home, resulting in his death.
These two incidents occur within the context of rising fears regarding the recurrence of killings and targeting of civilians belonging to religious and sectarian minorities in various regions of Syria in recent weeks, particularly members of the Alawite community in the governorates of Homs and Hama, and the city of Damascus.
In this context, Ghadeer Ibrahim, an Alawite citizen originally from the Al-Qutailibiyah area in the countryside of Jableh, was killed following an armed attack that targeted his commercial shop in the Jabal Al-Ward area of Damascus on the morning of June 14, 2026.
Additionally, on June 11, 2026, Suleiman Abdulhamid Nisafi (60 years old), a shepherd from the Alawite community, was killed in an armed attack that took place on the road connecting the villages of Jubb Abbas and Al-Shokatliyah in the eastern countryside of Homs, amid indications of potential sectarian motives behind the attack.
On June 9, 2026, Ali Khazem Al-Darwish, a citizen belonging to the Alawite community, was killed hours after being abducted from his home in the village of Al-Rabiaa in the countryside of Hama governorate. Available information indicates that an armed group stormed his home and took him to an unknown destination before his body was later found near the junction of Kafr Al-Tun village, bearing gunshot wounds.
On June 8, 2026, Ali Ismail, the owner of the “Al-Ghadir” butcher shop and a member of the Alawite community, succumbed to injuries sustained in an armed attack targeting him inside his workplace in the Al-Arman neighborhood of Homs city. According to available information, a gunman stormed the shop and opened fire on him before the assailant was subsequently killed during an apprehension attempt by the victim’s brother.
Furthermore, June 7, 2026, witnessed several armed attacks in the countryside of Hama. One of these attacks resulted in the killing of two young men, Yael Khader Al-Khader and Ali Hassan Al-Hassan, and the injury of three other persons, including a child, in an attack targeting members of a single family in the town of Tal Sakkeen (Al-Sarout) in the western countryside of Hama.
In a separate incident on the same day, Koulab Ahmad Alloush and Mahmoud Ayman Alloush were killed, while Ahmad Ayman Alloush (19 years old) and Ali Koulab Alloush were injured, following an armed attack targeting members of the Alloush family inside a barbershop in the village of Al-Shuhaib in the Salamiyah countryside.
On June 6, 2026, local sources documented the killing of Hassan Youssef Al-Tawil, a citizen originally from the village of Al-Barouha in the Talkalakh area of the western countryside of Homs, five days after his arrest by personnel affiliated with the Public Security (Amn Al-Aam), according to available information. Local sources also reported that his brother, Hafez Al-Tawil, had passed away last year during detention as a result of torture, according to local testimonies.
On June 1, 2026, two young men, Majd Hatem Al-Shaaer and Yamen Hussein Al-Sulaiman, both from the Alawite community, were killed in an armed attack carried out by unidentified individuals in the village of Kitlon, which belongs to the countryside of Salamiyah city in the eastern Hama governorate.
The facts documented during the recent period indicate an escalation in killings and targeting incidents affecting civilians from various sectarian backgrounds in several Syrian regions, including members of the Shia and Alawite communities. The recurrence of these incidents and the similarity of some of their patterns raise serious concerns regarding the potential existence of targeting based on sectarian affiliation. This necessitates the launching of independent and transparent investigations to uncover the circumstances of these violations, identify those responsible, and ensure they are held accountable in accordance with national and international legal standards.
These incidents constitute a grave violation of the right to life and personal security, which are fundamental rights guaranteed under international human rights law. They also underscore the urgent need to take effective measures to protect civilians, prevent acts of violence, hate speech, and incitation, ensure non-impunity, and promote avenues of justice and redress for the victims and their families.
