Tensions Escalate in Homs after Assassination of Syrian Shia Cleric

IQNA – A demonstration was held in a suburb of Homs in Syria in condemnation of the assassination of Shia cleric.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that Shia cleric Sheikh Rasoul Shahoud was shot directly while returning from the gardens of the al-Wa'r neighborhood in al-Mazraa Village. 

He was killed instantly, according to the report.

The demonstration was accompanied by a major security alert.

Western Homs in Syria has seen tensions escalate amid public dissatisfaction with the way security services have handled the incident.

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There are allegations of an attempt to cover up the circumstances surrounding the assassination and portray it as a criminal act, further escalating tensions in the region.

According to the report, the number of victims of retaliatory actions by terrorist elements affiliated with Ahmed al-Jolani, the leader of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, since the beginning of 2025 in various Syrian provinces has reached 832, including: 788 men, 29 women and 15 children.

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