In the last week, Syrian government forces, now dominated by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), carried out a massacre of the Druze minority in Sweida in southern Syria, reportedly killing more than
350 people. Victims included patients and doctors at a local hospital, with militants committing atrocities that include beheadings, rapes, and executions. One video shows soldiers kicking to death Druze men who have their hands zip-tied behind their backs. Other footage depicts security forces humiliating Druze men by forcibly shaving their religiously significant facial hair.
The massacre has drawn little condemnation from major human rights organizations and none from pro-Palestinian demonstrators. Several media outlets mischaracterized the violence as tribal clashes between local groups. (Emphasis added)