Gunmen kill 12 civilians in western, central Syria on 1st day of Eid al-Fitr

Amid ongoing raids and summary executions by gunmen affiliated with the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham-led regime, militants have shot and killed at least a dozen civilians, mostly Alawites, in separate incidents in Syria’s Tartus and Homs.

The pan-Arab al-Mayadeen television news channel, citing an unnamed local source, reported that HTS-affiliated armed men stormed the village of Harf Banimra in Baniyas district of Tartus province on Monday, and took away a local official, his son, and four other men.

The gunmen then fatally shot the abductees at point blank range, before leaving the village. Locals identified the village headman as Jawdat Fares.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights cited unidentified local sources as accusing the perpetrators of setting out from a military base once belonging to ousted president Bashar al-Assad's army but now used by the forces of Syria's new authorities.

The Britain-based monitor group said the attackers hurled “sectarian slogans and direct threats” before opening fire.

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In a separate incident in Karm al-Zeitoun neighborhood of the central city of Homs, two armed men “stormed a house and shot at those inside”, killing a woman and three of her children, including a baby girl.

The Observatory added that the victims were also Alawites.

The attack also claimed the lives of two civilians from the Sunni Muslim sect, who were visiting the family.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights accused one of the perpetrators of being a member of the so-called General Security agency.

The developments came as Syria is marking the first day of Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

On Saturday, the US embassy in Syria issued warnings to its citizens of an increased possibility of attacks during the Eid holiday. The advisory said the attacks could target diplomatic sites, security bases and Syrian public institutions in Damascus.

The security situation in Syria remains tenuous after militant factions, led by the HTS, toppled president Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8, 2024.

Since the collapse of Assad’s government, the Israeli military has been launching airstrikes against military installations, facilities, and arsenals belonging to Syria’s now-defunct army.

Israel has been widely condemned for the termination of the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria and for exploiting the chaos in the Arab nation in the wake of Assad’s downfall to make a land grab.

The United Nations has condemned ongoing Israeli attacks inside Syrian territory and continuing violations in and around the buffer zone created as part of a 1974 ceasefire agreement with Damascus.  

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