On Saturday evening, 3 January 2026, near the Police Roundabout in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, south of the city of Homs in Syria, the citizen Hamza Mohammad al-Mohammad, belonging to the Alawite sect, was injured by gunshots to the face and forearm. Ms. Mais Abboud Mansour, who also belongs to the Alawite sect, was likewise injured by gunshots to the face and neck.
According to local accounts, two armed men riding a motorcycle opened fire directly at the two victims while they were near the Police Roundabout in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, before fleeing the scene.
This attack is considered the second of its kind in the area within a short period, having been preceded by the bombing of the Imam Ali Mosque in the city of Homs on 26 December 2025.
This incident comes amid an escalation of violence of a sectarian nature in neighborhoods in the south of the city of Homs, particularly the areas of Wadi al-Dhahab, Karm al-Louz, Karm al-Zeitoun, al-Wuroud neighborhood, and areas housing displaced persons, which have witnessed repeated incidents over the past year, including kidnapping, killing, throwing of grenades, and street executions.
Field data indicate the continuation of a state of security breakdown, as attacks are no longer limited to men but have also targeted women, with attempts to kill girls recorded in the days preceding the incident. The incident also reflects a state of constant anxiety experienced by residents, in the absence of a sense of safety even in areas close to official security checkpoints.
In a related context, on Tuesday evening, 30 December 2025, armed groups affiliated with the de facto authority arrested the engineer Osama Abdul Muin Khaddour, belonging to the Alawite sect, from his home in the al-Sabil neighborhood of the city of Homs, near Issa al-Fahli School.
During the arrest, his family received assurances indicating his imminent release; however, on 1 January 2026 they received news that his body was in the morgue at al-Waer Hospital.
During the same period, the killing of the civilian Wael Faraj al-Fouani was documented on 1 January 2026, after he was subjected to direct gunfire in front of his shop in the al-Walid suburb of the city of Homs. The victim hails from the village of Umm al-Teen in the eastern countryside of Homs and belongs to the Shiite sect.
The injury of Hamza Mohammad al-Mohammad and Mais Abboud Mansour, along with the related incidents mentioned, reflects an escalating pattern of serious violations of the right to life and personal security in the city of Homs, amid the continued security breakdown and the absence of effective accountability, leaving civilians, regardless of their religious and sectarian affiliations, in a constant state of fear and anticipation.
