Armed men attack civilians in al-Zahriyat Housing area in Damascus

A group of about 30 armed men, led by a man known as Abu Anas and accompanied by another called Abu Hudhayfa, launched an attack today on the al-Zahriyat housing area in Damascus. The armed group stormed the neighborhood, assaulting residents with beatings and insults, and threatened them to evacuate their homes within a short period.

Local sources reported that members of the armed group used rifle butts to beat young men, injuring five people with varying degrees of severity. Some were transferred to hospitals for treatment, while several men and youths fled the neighborhood to escape the assault. Meanwhile, the security forces of the Interim Government failed to intervene to stop the attack or protect the unarmed civilians.

According to the same sources, the leader of the armed group threatened residents, saying:

“Next time, you won’t even be able to take your clothes with you.”
Locals viewed this as an explicit threat indicating an intention to carry out forced displacement.

The sources added that the gunmen broke into houses, smashed doors, and confiscated mobile phones from men and women, forcing them to unlock their private devices.

This attack reportedly came just days after a similar assault by the same group, led by Abu Anas, who was recently appointed as the “officer in charge of security checkpoints” in the area.

Residents of al-Zahriyat expressed deep fears of escalating violations and possible forced displacement, similar to what happened in the neighborhoods of al-Sumariyah and al-Wuroud, among other predominantly Alawite areas of Damascus. They called on the concerned authorities to intervene immediately to protect civilians.

ANHA