01-05-2025
Deadly day in Syria: Sahnaya Mayor assassinated
Shafaq News/ On Thursday, unidentified gunmen shot and killed the mayor of Sahnaya and his son in a volatile suburb of Damascus, Syrian media reported.
The mayor, identified as Warwar, was gunned down shortly after security forces from Syria's Interior and Defense ministries deployed to the area in an effort to quell days of violence involving Druze residents and government-aligned fighters. Authorities have launched an investigation into the attack.
Warwar had appeared in a video the previous day discussing efforts to restore calm after the General Security Directorate entered the town.
Earlier, the Syrian government announced troop movements into Sahnaya to contain unrest that had spilled into neighboring Jaramana and reportedly left nearly 40 people dead. By nightfall, state news agency SANA reported a preliminary ceasefire agreement between local factions. Officials pledged to 'protect all communities, including the Druze.'
Israel Intervenes
As tensions escalated, an Israeli drone strike hit near Sahnaya, targeting a Syrian security patrol in what observers described as Israel's first known direct intervention involving Syria's Druze minority since the civil war began.
Damascus Governor Amer al-Sheikh confirmed the strike killed one officer and a local, while several others were wounded.
Israel's military said the operation targeted 'extremists involved in attacks on Druze civilians.' Public broadcaster Kan reported that a missile struck a building housing armed men allegedly preparing an assault on Druze-populated areas.
Israeli officials also announced the evacuation of three wounded Druze from Syria for medical treatment inside Israel.
Syria's Foreign Ministry denounced the strike without explicitly naming Israel, rejecting 'all forms of foreign interference' and reaffirming its 'commitment to protecting all components of the Syrian people, including the noble Druze community.'
