07/12/2021

Syrian regime security threatens to bombard eastern countryside of As-Suwayda Governorate

AS SUWAYDA, Syria — The Syrian regime’s Security Committee threatened to bombard the village of Al-Harise in the eastern countryside of As-Suwayda Governorate if it did not swear loyalty to Assad and the Syrian Army, reported local media outlet ANS.

According to sources in the village, the Committee’s threats came at the request of General Secretariat of National Defense official Rashid Yasser Salloum. The sources stated that the Committee threatened to dismiss members and secretary of the Baath Party in the village if its demands were not met.

The villagers affirmed that the Committee’s threat has no justification, stressing that they have not attacked the regime’s institutions nor the Army’s checkpoints.

The village has seen tension between local groups and militias affiliated with the Syrian regime after civilian homes were targeted with rocket-propelled grenades. Sources stated that these militias are responsible for the bombing with the aim of escalation.