Shocking Footage Exposes HTS Execution of Families in Syria

Date: 29 July 2025 - 22:31

News ID: ۱۴۱۹۸۹

BEIRUT (Dispatches) -- Shocking footage circulating on social media has revealed the brutal execution of unarmed Druze civilians by armed elements affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in the southern Syrian province of Sweida.
The horrifying videos, reviewed and geolocated by Reuters, show execution-style killings carried out in broad daylight, as the HTS fighters filmed the atrocities themselves.
In one disturbing clip filmed on July 16, three unarmed men—Moaz Arnous, his brother Baraa Arnous, and their cousin Osama Arnous—are ordered onto a balcony by HTS militants in military-style uniforms. One fighter pauses to ask, “You want to film them?” before two militants execute the men as they are forced over the railing, their bodies falling to the street below.
A family friend and a cousin of the victims confirmed to Reuters that the video was recorded at their home in Sweida. The footage is among several showing similar executions carried out by HTS fighters, who have taken advantage of Syria’s ongoing instability to spread terror and sectarian violence.
Another video verified by Reuters shows Mounir al-Rajma, a 60-year-old Druze water-well guard, being gunned down outside a school in the town of Thaalah after identifying himself as Druze. His son, Wiam, told Reuters that the fighters had repeatedly demanded to know, “Are you Muslim or Druze?” before opening fire. “This is the fate of every dog among you, you pigs,” one militant can be heard saying after the shooting.
HTS, which emerged from the remnants of terrorist groups with global takfiri ties, has operated under the leadership of Abu Muhammad al-Jolani. The group has previously claimed to have renounced extremist affiliations, but the videos tell a different story—one of deliberate executions targeting religious minorities and aimed at stoking sectarian division.
In another gruesome video verified by geolocation techniques, eight Druze men in civilian clothes are seen being led by HTS fighters west of Tishreen Square in Sweida.
The victims were later forced to kneel in a roundabout and shot at close range while the gunmen shouted slogans. Among those killed were Syrian-American citizen Hosam Saraya, his father, and brother Kareem, according to a family friend.
Dima Saraya, wife of another victim, confirmed that HTS fighters had surrounded their building on July 16 and falsely promised safe questioning.
U.S. Senator James Lankford of Oklahoma confirmed that Hosam Saraya, who had lived in the United States, was among those executed. “He was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria,” Lankford said in a statement.
HTS fighters were seen wearing military fatigues, with at least one displaying a black patch—a symbol popularized by Daesh. Despite the presence of such markings, HTS defense and interior ministries have not issued any clarification on the identity of the perpetrators or their affiliations.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that at least 1,013 people have been killed in Sweida since violence erupted on July 13, including 47 women, 26 children, and six medical workers. The majority of the victims were Druze. The group said violence intensified sharply after HTS fighters and allied groups moved into the province and were later reinforced by their so-called national army.
The violence began following long-standing disputes between local Druze militias and Bedouin fighters, but escalated when HTS militants entered the city on July 14 and 15. According to war monitors and local residents, their arrival sparked a wave of bloodshed.
A forensic pathologist at Sweida National Hospital, who spoke anonymously, reported that 502 bodies were brought to the hospital during the violence, including individuals who had been decapitated or had their throats slit—evidence of the brutality of the executions. Most of the dead bore gunshot wounds inflicted at close range.
Despite widespread circulation of the videos and global outrage, HTS leadership under Abu Muhammad al-Jolani has remained silent. No group has claimed responsibility for the Sweida massacre, and the so-called Syrian defense ministry has blamed the killings on an “unknown group” while promising investigations. However, no concrete steps appear to have been taken to bring the perpetrators to justice.
The massacres in Sweida mark one of the most brutal attacks against Syria’s Druze minority in recent years and come just months after similar violence targeted the Alawite community in coastal regions. The events underscore the deepening chaos in Syria following the collapse of centralized authority and the spread of extremist elements.
In the absence of meaningful international intervention or accountability, communities like the Druze remain highly vulnerable to sectarian violence, targeted killings, and armed group impunity. The unfolding situation in Sweida is a grim reminder of the catastrophic consequences of foreign-backed militancy and the enduring failure to protect Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.