On 17 February 2026, the body of the civilian Moein Assad Al-Rahiya (Abu Fadi), a member of the Alawite community, was found in his home in the village of Ras al-Ain in the countryside of Jableh, Latakia Governorate, western Syria. Preliminary information indicates that he was killed as a result of a gunshot wound to the head, in a crime whose circumstances had not been disclosed at the time of drafting this report.
According to the available information, the body of Moein Assad Al-Rahiya was discovered in his residence located in the village of Ras al-Ain. Local sources also reported that he was found dead in his small farm situated in the valley between Ras al-Ain and the area of Dahr Abu Qarma.
The killing of Moein Al-Rahiya coincided with other incidents that occurred on the Syrian coast and in the city of Homs on the same date:
On 17 February 2026, the civilian Bassam Balloul, a member of the Alawite community, was killed in the village of Barmaya in the countryside of Baniyas, Tartus Governorate, after his vehicle was directly targeted with gunfire by unidentified armed assailants, resulting in his death and the injury of another young man who was accompanying him.
In a separate incident on the same day, the young man Ali Al-Ahmad, also a member of the Alawite community, was killed as a result of direct gunfire targeting him while he was driving his vehicle on Al-Sittin Road in the Al-Zahraa neighborhood of the city of Homs.
These incidents occur amid a noticeable escalation in killings targeting civilians during the month of February 2026. Converging data indicate that the majority of the victims are members of the Alawite community, in the absence of official information regarding the outcomes of any potential investigations.
