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| Syria-Lebanon-Iran |
| UN, UK deplore killing of medical staff in Syrian hospital, urge justice |
| 2025-08-13 |
Most of the pointless deploring snipped. [Rudaw] The United Nations...the Oyster Bay money pit... and the United Kingdom have strongly condemned a harrowing video showing men in military uniforms executing unarmed medical volunteers inside a hospital in southern Syria, calling on Damascus to ensure those responsible are brought to justice. The video, which has circulated widely online, shows gunnies in Syrian security force uniforms inside a hospital corridor, where staff members are kneeling. One of them, Mohammad al-Bahsas - an engineer volunteering as a first responder - is seen being shot at close range, and his body is then dragged away. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Monday that the incident took place at the National hospital in the predominantly Druze Suwayda province on July 16. Citing a witness, SOHR reported that Bahsas had earlier tried to defuse tensions by clarifying to an officer - who later executed him - that he had no medical training. "For that, he was executed in cold blood right in front of us," the witness said. The war monitor also reported the killing of Wael Azzam, an engineer responsible for the hospital’s surveillance system, who was reportedly killed after refusing to hand over security footage, fearing it could be used to endanger other staff. On Monday, Syria’s interior ministry said it was "following up on the distressing footage circulating on social media," and denounced the killings "in the strongest terms." The ministry vowed that the perpetrators would be prosecuted, "regardless of their affiliations." Does anyone believe them? The National Hospital killings occurred during a broader outbreak of violence in Suwayda that began on July 13.UN Special Envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen reported in late July that the conflict was initially sparked by a series of “mutual kidnappings” between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes, which quickly escalated into armed clashes. Pedersen added that government security forces deployed to de-escalate the situation were “attacked” by Druze groups, but also noted “extremely grave reports of serious violations by security forces against Druze civilians.” As of July 20, SOHR reported at least 1,120 deaths resulting from the clashes. A fragile ceasefire is currently in place, though the situation remains “tense and volatile,” as UN officials estimate that around 175,000 people have been displaced due to the violence. |
| Posted by:trailing wife |