Oklahoma man among Druze family killed in execution-style shooting in Syria
Viral video of the Druze-Bedouin conflict shows the final moments of Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old from Oklahoma who flew back to his homeland to take care of his sick father in Sweida, where Syria's Druze minority reside, CNN reported.
Saraya and seven of his relatives were hauled out of their house at gunpoint and forced to march to the middle of Tishreen Square, where they were made to kneel before the armed men opened fire on them.
5 Hosam Saraya, a Syrian-American, was among the members of the Druze community killed in last week's violence with the Bedouin.
Instagram/Hosam Saraya
5 Saraya and seven relatives were taken to a town square and forced on their knees before armed men executed them.
X/visegrad24
The carnage occurred during a week of fighting across Sweida before a cease-fire deal with the country's new government was struck.
Fighters for the new regime were also accused of assisting Bedouin gunmen in carrying out the sectarian violence against the Druze, with one of Saraya's relatives claiming that a man from the government was involved in the massacre against her family.
'One of them was wearing a General Security uniform … the black one,' she told CNN. ''They told us, 'We are the army of Ahmad Al-Jolani (the Syrian president).''
'They threatened us, told us not to make a sound or we will kill you,' she added. 'They threatened us with rape … he told me if you speak I will come and kill you.'
5 Saraya, a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, posted photos of himself earning his US citizenship in 2023.
Instagram/Hosam Saraya
5 The Bedouin and Druze engaged in days of fighting that resulted in Israel attacking Syrian military sites to protect the minority group.
AFP via Getty Images
The Syrian government has denied any involvement in the killings, reiterating that its forces were deployed to Sweida to establish peace between the two groups.
A cease-fire was eventually struck on Friday after the Israeli military launched airstrikes in Syria, warning that it would not allow violence against the Druze to go on nor have Damascus' forces be deployed so close to the border.
The State Department confirmed Monday that an American was killed in Sweida last week, with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) later revealing that Saraya was the victim.
5 Bodies covered in sheets were placed on the ground in Syria as Sweida reels from last week's violence.
AFP via Getty Images
'Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss,' the senator wrote on X.
'We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them,' the State Department said in a statement. 'We are greatly concerned when any US citizen is harmed overseas, wherever they are. The United States calls for accountability in all cases where US citizens are harmed abroad.'
Saray lived in Oklahoma for the last 10 years and earned his MBA at the Christian University, with the dual citizen opening up a virtual school in Syria, family members told local KOCO.
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