Gunmen open fire at Syrian cafe in Homs, killing four
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Four civilians were killed and one was injured in a shooting at a cafe in Umm Hartein, Homs countryside, amid rising sectarian tensions and retaliatory killings in Syria.
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A member of the new security forces walks past tanks during an operation to detain men suspected of being part of militias or loyalist soldiers of the ousted president Bashar Assad in Homs, Syria, on January 3, 2025. (AP Photo/Leo Correa)
Four Syrian civilians, including Mukhtar Wadi al-Mawla, known as "Abu Ghazal," were killed, and another person was injured after unknown gunmen opened fire inside a cafe in the village of Umm Hartein, located in the Talkalakh area of the western Homs countryside.
The attack targeted a public gathering spot in the village, sparking concerns over renewed violence in the region.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, three of the victims were from the Alawite sect, while the fourth belonged to the Sunni sect. Although the motive behind the attack remains unclear, tensions in the village have risen following threats reportedly received after the shooting.
Messages vowing revenge spread among residents, stating: “We will not forget and we will take our revenge,” fueling fears of renewed violence and retaliatory attacks in the area.
Syrian Interior Ministry condemns 'heinous crime'
The Syrian Interior Ministry confirmed the incident in a statement issued Saturday, reporting that the shooting involved "random gunfire carried out by unidentified individuals inside the cafe."
Authorities stated that "the competent authorities immediately began the necessary procedures to cordon off the site of the incident, investigate its circumstances, apprehend the perpetrators and bring them to justice, while taking all measures to protect civilians and ensure public security."
The ministry condemned "this heinous crime in the strongest terms," stressing its "absolute rejection of all forms of violence that threaten the security and stability of society." Meanwhile, local sources in Homs indicated that the group responsible for the attack may be affiliated with Syrian General Security forces, though this information remains unverified.
It's worth noting that the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights noted that with this incident, the number of victims from retaliatory actions and extrajudicial killings across Syrian governorates has reached 1,151 since the beginning of 2025. This includes 1,090 men, 39 women, and 22 children.
The growing number of such killings highlights the ongoing security challenges and the fragile state of intercommunal relations in various parts of Syria, particularly in regions like the Homs countryside.
In a similar incident on Saturday, a civilian was killed on the spot after unidentified gunmen opened fire directly at him behind Tiba Mall in Idlib City. The motives behind the attack remain unknown, and no group has claimed responsibility.
The incident adds to a growing pattern of violence in Idlib province, where security conditions remain unstable amid ongoing tensions.
Over 11,000 killed since fall of former Syrian regime
On a related note, earlier this month, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 11,226 people have been killed since the fall of the former Syrian regime over the past eleven months, noting that the country continues to experience widespread chaos and extensive violations against civilians.
The Observatory stated in its report that the period from December 8, 2024, to November 8, 2025, saw a continued and widespread pattern of serious human rights violations across various Syrian regions, including unlawful killings, field executions, abductions, and torture, alongside the indiscriminate targeting of civilians, armed attacks, and repeated bombings.
It also highlighted that Syria has been subjected to bombings by Turkish and Israeli forces, alongside attacks carried out by armed groups and extremist organizations, which have worsened the suffering of civilians, particularly women and children, and revived patterns of systematic violence as well as crimes driven by revenge, sectarian, and regional motives.
According to the report, among the victims were 8,654 civilians, including 487 children and 657 women, while 3,059 cases of field executions were documented, and the Observatory noted that these violations were carried out by multiple local and regional actors amid an almost complete absence of accountability and the weakness of judicial institutions.
