(Adnkronos) – Curfew until this afternoon in various areas of Homs, a city in central Syria, the scene of new violence in the Arab country where the Assad era ended almost a year ago. It all began yesterday morning with the killing of a couple in their family home in the Zaydal area. Writings were found on the walls of the house, the Interior Ministry announced, which fueled fears of possible sectarian violence. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the murder sparked the anger of the victims’ relatives and members of the Bani Khalid tribe, who launched violent attacks against Alawite-majority neighborhoods in Homs, leading authorities to decide on a curfew.
The Observatory speaks of groups of armed men on motorcycles who stormed the neighborhoods, damaged several vehicles, shops and other properties, and assaulted people in the street. At least 18 people were injured, according to the Syrian agency Sana, which reports the deployment of security forces in the city and the return of “calm” with the curfew remaining in force until 5 PM today, 3 PM in Italy. The Observatory speaks of a “tense calm”. “We strongly condemn this horrendous crime and affirm that the objective is clearly to sow discord among the components of our community,” said Homs’ top internal security official, Murhaf al-Naasan.
In March, after the end of Bashar al-Assad’s regime last December, clashes were reported in the coastal areas, which are predominantly Alawite. Last week, trials against suspected perpetrators of massacres began in post-Assad Syria. Then violence erupted between Druze factions and Sunni tribes in the southern province of Sweida, with reports of atrocities against civilians.
