Syria launches probe into gruesome Suwayda hospital killing amid backlash

Rudaw Net

a day ago

Also in Syria
SDF demands groups 'supported by Turkey,' Damascus cease attacks
Syria cancels Paris talks with Rojava after unity conference
Damascus says Rojava unity conference serves 'foreign agendas'
SDF says thwarted attack in Deir ez-Zor
A+ A-
ERBIL, Kurdistan Region - A gruesome video that emerged from the predominantly Druze Suwayda province in southern Syria - showing men in military uniforms executing medical staff inside a hospital - has prompted Syria's interior ministry to launch a probe, vowing to hold the perpetrators accountable regardless of their affiliations.
In a Monday statement on X, the ministry said it is 'following up on the distressing video that has been circulating on social media,' of footage reportedly filmed inside the National Hospital in Suwayda.
The ministry "condemned and denounced the acts [depicted in the video] in the strongest terms," affirming that "the perpetrators will be held accountable and referred to the judiciary to receive their just punishment, regardless of their affiliations."
The undersecretary for security affairs at the interior ministry 'has also been assigned to directly supervise the investigation to ensure the perpetrators are apprehended and arrested as quickly as possible,' the ministry added.
The video in reference depicts a chilling scene of armed men wearing Syrian security uniforms inside the hospital, with staff members kneeling in a hallway. One of them, Mohammad al-Bahsas, an engineer volunteering as a first responder, is seen being shot at close range, after which his body is dragged away.
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Monday that the incident took place at the National hospital in Suwayda on July 16.
Citing a witness and colleague of Bahsas, SOHR relayed that the slain volunteer had previously tried to calm tensions by explaining his lack of medical training to the same officer who later killed him. 'For that, he was executed in cold blood right in front of us,' the witness stated.
The war monitor also reported the killing of Wael Azzam, an engineer in charge of the hospital's surveillance cameras, who was reportedly executed after he refused to hand over the security footage, fearing it could be used to further endanger hospital staff.
SOHR condemned the killings as 'horrific violations against unarmed civilians and health workers,' calling for 'an immediate and thorough investigation.'
The National Hospital incident came in the wake of a broader outbreak of violence in Suwayda, which erupted on July 13.
UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen in late July reported that the conflict began with a series of 'mutual kidnappings' between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes, quickly spiraling into armed conflict.
Pedersen added that government security forces deployed to de-escalate the situation were reportedly 'attacked' by Druze groups, while also noting 'extremely grave reports of serious violations by security forces against Druze civilians.'
Documented abuses included 'extrajudicial executions, degrading treatment, desecration of corpses, looting, and destruction of property,' he said, affirming that 'hundreds of casualties and injuries among security forces, Druze fighters, and most tragically, civilians."
Of note, the UK-based SOHR reported a death toll of 1,120 by July 20 from the Suwayda violence. A fragile ceasefire is currently in place, but 'the situation remains tense and volatile,' with approximately 175,000 people displaced, the UN official said.
The Suwayda unrest followed similar violence in early March, when violence broke out in the Alawite-majority coastal regions after loyalists of ousted dictator Bashar al-Assad attacked security forces aligned with Syria's interim leadership.
SOHR then-reported about 1,700 deaths - mostly Alawite civilians - with many casualties attributed to government or pro-government forces.
In late July, Pedersen urged Syria's interim government to implement 'major course corrections' in both its political transition and national security strategy, warning that the intercommunal violence 'led to mass casualties, drained trust and created more dangers of fragmentation.'
Pedersen urged Damascus to 'ensure justice for victims and accountability for all perpetrators,' warning that 'a fragmented security architecture, filled with militias and lacking clear command, cannot sustain peace.'
The UN official emphasized the need for justice and accountability, asserting that 'a fragmented security architecture, filled with militias and lacking clear command, cannot sustain peace.'