An undated footage released by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reportedly shows fighters loyal to Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government executing a hospital employee.
The video shows staff at Sweida National Hospital kneeling before armed men. One is struck on the head and is shot first with an assault rifle and then a pistol. SOHR identified the gunmen as members of the Defence and Interior Ministries.
The killings reportedly took place in July amid the sectarian clashes between Bedouin factions and Druze forces in Sweida. According to SOHR, government troops entered under the pretext of enforcing a ceasefire but fought alongside Bedouin factions against Druze forces.
Meanwhile, a BBC correspondent at the hospital reported dozens of corpses, some in body bags, others still in bloodied sheets at Sweida National Hospital.
Dr. Wissam Massoud, a neurosurgeon, said troops killed patients in their beds, including an eight-year-old disabled boy. “It was a massacre,” Massoud said. “The soldiers came here saying they wanted to bring peace, but they killed scores of patients, from the very young to the very old.”
On Tuesday, the Defence Ministry acknowledged reports of “shocking violations” in Sweida and pledged to investigate all alleged atrocities.
Syria’s Interior Ministry said Deputy Minister of Interior for Security Affairs Maj. Gen. Abdul Qader Al-Tahhan has been tasked with overseeing the investigation “to ensure that the perpetrators are identified and arrested as quickly as possible.”
“We condemn and denounce this act in the strongest terms, and we affirm that the perpetrators will be held accountable and brought to justice to receive their just punishment, regardless of their affiliations,” the ministry’s statement read.
On Saturday, Sheikh Hikmat Al-Hijri, spiritual leader of Syria’s Druze community, urged an international investigation into the Sweida violence, including the hospital incident. In a televised address, he called for those responsible to be brought before the International Criminal Court and for international observers to be deployed to protect civilians.
The fighting between Druze fighters and pro-government forces in Sweida has largely subsided following a U.S.-brokered ceasefire. The agreement came after days of intense clashes that left over a thousand people dead and many others wounded.
