Gunmen Attack Kills 10 in Alawite Village in Syria

Gunmen attacked Arzah village in northern Hama on Friday, resulting in the deaths of ten individuals, including a child and an elderly woman, Arab News reported yesterday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the assailants, armed with handguns equipped with silencers, knocked on doors before opening fire. Witnesses described the attackers as former officers and soldiers who entered the village under the guise of conducting weapons inspections.

Security forces have since surrounded the area in an effort to apprehend those responsible for the massacre. The attack has raised concerns of sectarian violence, particularly among members of the Alawite community, which has historically supported ousted President Bashar Assad. This incident follows the recent arrest of Assad’s cousin, Atif Najib, linked to a crackdown in Daraa, highlighting ongoing tensions in a country still grappling with the aftermath of a devastating civil war that has claimed over half a million lives.