“Hassan Jardo” and “Mohammad Ramadan,” both members of the Shiite community, were killed on the evening of Sunday, 1 March 2026, after being directly shot by two armed assailants riding a motorcycle inside a small shop in the al-Abbasiyah neighborhood of the city of Homs, western Syria.
According to available information, two unidentified gunmen entered the shop and opened fire directly at the two victims, resulting in their immediate deaths.
This crime occurs amid a notable escalation in the targeting of civilians in the city of Homs during February 2026, with concerning indications that some of these incidents carry a sectarian character.
On 26–27 February 2026, the young man Ali Qanab, a civilian from the Alawite community who worked as a coffee vendor at a street stall, was killed after succumbing to a gunshot wound sustained in a direct attack carried out by two armed individuals riding a motorcycle near the Clock Roundabout in central Homs, in proximity to the police headquarters.
On the evening of 27 February 2026, Nahel Aboud (44 years old) and Hassan Abbas (42 years old), both civilians from the Murshidi community, were killed as a result of a direct attack carried out by an armed group on Bab al-Dreib Street at the Clinics Junction in the city of Homs.
The city also witnessed, on the evening of 23 February 2026, an incident targeting Ms. Iman Matanius Jirjis (47 years old), a member of the Christian faith, by an armed group.
According to documentation compiled during February 2026, more than ten civilians were killed in the city of Homs and its surrounding countryside, the majority of whom were from the Alawite community, in shooting incidents and direct attacks carried out by unidentified armed individuals.
These incidents fall within a continuing pattern of sectarian-motivated targeting operations in the city of Homs since December 2024, that is, since the fall of the regime, raising serious concerns regarding the safety and security of civilians—particularly those belonging to religious and sectarian minorities—amid the ongoing state of impunity and the absence of clear official investigation results concerning these crimes.
The targeting of civilians on the basis of their religious or sectarian affiliation constitutes a grave violation of the right to life as guaranteed under international human rights law, in particular the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. It also forms part of patterns of discriminatory violence prohibited under the rules of international law.
The continuation of this pattern of crimes necessitates the opening of independent and transparent investigations, ensuring accountability for those responsible, and the adoption of immediate and effective measures to protect civilians, so as to prevent the recurrence of such violations and to strengthen the rule of law.
