The attack was carried out by members of the General Security and Ministry of Defense under the de facto authorities, along with allied tribal militias led by Interim President Ahmad al-Shar’a (“al-Jolani”), during the broader terrorist assault on Suwayda. The entire village was forcibly displaced in the aftermath.

🔹 The documentation reveals charred remains of the church, a stark image reflecting the scale of devastation inflicted upon both Christian churches and Druze religious sites alike.

This act constitutes a crime of religious persecution and the deliberate destruction of places of worship, falling under the scope of crimes against humanity as defined by international law.

It further demonstrates the systematic nature of the attack, in which Syria’s historic religious and social pluralism has been deliberately targeted as part of an ongoing policy of sectarian cleansing.

The attack was carried out by Jihadist members of the General Security and Ministry of Defense affiliated with the de facto authorities, alongside pro-regime tribal militias led by the transitional leader Ahmad Al-Shar’ (“Al-Joulani”), in mid-July 2025.

🔹 The documentation, captured on Thursday, 17/7/2025, shows the extent of destruction and vandalism inflicted on the church’s walls, images, and statues, as well as the theft of significant religious artifacts.

This attack constitutes a religious persecution crime and deliberate targeting of places of worship, falling within the scope of crimes against humanity under international law.

In a heartbreaking scene that reflects the scale of tragedy endured by Suwayda, a church sheltering dozens of displaced children and women was deliberately shelled with mortars fired by elements of the de facto authority’s forces led by Abu Muhammad al-Houlani (Ahmad al-Shar’a), amid a troubling international silence and the ongoing suffocating siege imposed on the city.

In a moving testimony, the father of martyr Nabil Fouad Al-Helou (40 years old) – a young Christian whose very name “Nabil” in Arabic means noble, honorable, and virtuous – spoke about the killing of his son by a sniper bullet to the chest, fired by jihadist fighters from the General Security and Ministry of Defense of the de facto authority, alongside allied tribal militias, while he was near the targeted church.

The grieving father raised his voice, appealing to international and humanitarian organizations to assume their responsibilities and act urgently to lift the siege on the city and provide protection for innocent civilians – especially children and women, who face the threat of death every single day.

Martyr Salama Dakhlallah Al-Jaber, a young Christian, was studying Arabic literature and had started his own project to support his family amid difficult economic circumstances. He embodied the spirit of a hardworking young man balancing education and work, before his life was abruptly ended by treacherous gunfire.
• On July 16, during the violent events unfolding in Suwayda Governorate, Jihadists fighters of the General Security and Ministry of Defense of the de facto authority, alongside allied tribal militias, deliberately targeted Martyr Salama with a sniper shot.
• The attack occurred at Al-Zanbaqa Square – Qanawat Street.
• He was left bleeding on the ground for 24 hours, and his body was only transferred to the hospital the following day.

His sister, Hiba Dakhlallah Al-Jaber, stated that her brother was a young man who dreamed of a better future for his family, but the hand of sectarian terrorism ended his life in cold blood, denying him the chance to realize his aspirations. Her poignant testimony reflects the tragedy experienced by Christian and Druze families in the governorate.

📹 Verified footage documents Jihadists members of the “General Security” and Ministry of Defense of the de-facto authority, backed by loyal tribal militias, desecrating and exhuming Christian graves in the village of Al-Soura Al-Kabeera during their bloody terrorist assault on Suwayda governorate.

The assault resulted in the forced displacement of residents, the destruction and burning of their properties, and the commission of horrific massacres against civilians—grave breaches of international law that amount to crimes against humanity.

Even the dead were not spared from this wave of terror: graves were desecrated and destroyed in an act of sheer barbarism, exposing the sectarian and brutal nature of the attack 💔.

Such actions constitute terrorism in its purest form and a flagrant violation of human dignity and the sanctity of the dead.

Place and Date: Al-Malaab al-Baladi Roundabout — downtown al-Suwayda City, Wednesday, July 16, 2025, 7:00 a.m. His body was not retrieved until 10:00 a.m. on Thursday, July 17, 2025.

Details:
In a documented crime of a purely sectarian nature, operatives of the General Security and the Ministry of Defense of the de-facto authority carried out the extrajudicial execution of martyr Atallah Daoud Abi, an unarmed civilian who worked as a car mechanic.

That morning, he left his home heading to his workshop (his private garage) in the industrial zone north of the municipal stadium, intending to refuel his car before moving his family to a safer area. As he passed the stadium roundabout, General Security and Ministry of Defense operatives opened heavy sniper fire at his vehicle, forcing it off course until it crashed into the median. The operatives then approached and executed him point-blank with multiple deliberate shots.

This brutal act constitutes an unlawful extrajudicial killing and a heinous violation of international law, rising to the level of crimes against humanity.

Two young men, Wisam George Mansour and Shafiq Rafiq Mansour (his cousin), were killed, and another young man, Pierre Hariqs, sustained severe injuries, along with additional injuries to other civilians, following an armed attack targeting a gathering of youths seated in front of the Mukhtar’s office in the village of Anaz – Wadi al-Nasara.

The attack was carried out by masked gunmen affiliated with the de-facto authority, riding motorcycles from the village of Al-Hosn, who fired approximately 30 bullets directly at the civilian Christian youths, resulting in the immediate deaths of the two victims. The assailants subsequently fled via the Dibagha road leading back to Al-Hosn village.

What is happening today is a systematic plan to homogenize the country and subjugate its indigenous components through intimidation, extermination, or forced displacement. This constitutes a clear ethnic cleansing and sectarian religious extermination, with no ambiguity. Therefore, we urge the international community to assume its responsibility, to explicitly recognize the right of threatened communities to protect themselves, and to provide all legal means and necessary support to prevent them from becoming yet another victim in the ongoing series of massacres.

Christians seek to live in peace and security, yet their historical existence in this land is now under threat. The international community bears the duty to intervene to prevent genocide and deter the aggressors.