Two men from the Murshidi sect were killed on the evening of Friday, 27 February 2026, in the city of Homs, western Syria, as a result of a direct attack carried out by an armed group on Bab al-Dreib Street at the Clinics Junction. This incident occurs amid a marked escalation in the targeting of civilians in the city during the current month of February, raising concerns about the continuation a pattern of violence of a sectarian nature.
According to statements by activists and local sources, two masked gunmen riding a motorcycle targeted:
Nahel Aboud, 44 years old;
Hassan Abbas, 42 years old.
Sources reported that one of the assailants remained on the motorcycle while the other dismounted and advanced along the sidewalk before entering a grocery shop (mini-market) where Nahel Mohammad Aboud was working. He then fired multiple shots at the two victims, resulting in their immediate deaths. After carrying out the attack, the perpetrator returned to the motorcycle, and the two gunmen fled the scene.
This crime forms part of a series of violent incidents witnessed in the city of Homs and its countryside during February 2026, during which the killing of more than ten civilians has been documented, the majority of whom were from the Alawite sect, in addition to one victim from the Ismaili sect and another from the Christian faith.
On the evening of 23 February 2026, an armed group also targeted Ms. Iman Mattanios Jirjis (47 years old), who was of the Christian faith.
These developments fall within a continuing pattern of sectarian-motivated targeting in the city of Homs since December 2024, that is, since the fall of the regime, raising serious concerns regarding the safety of civilians and the continuation of a state of impunity.
