According to the sources, eight civilians were executed by unidentified extremist elements, while three others were wounded in an attack on a bus near the village of Al-Rabiya, in the west of the Hama province.

Several residents reported sectarian motives behind the crime, sparking a wave of outrage in the area as well as popular and official demands to clarify the circumstances of the incident and hold the perpetrators accountable.

The bodies of five individuals were also found dead after being shot in the head near Harsta Hospital, on the outskirts of Damascus. The victims were kidnapped while returning from work at a restaurant in the capital’s Brazeh neighborhood.

Acts of violence against minorities continue despite calls for tolerance and coexistence by the Syrian authorities, although a recent decrease in these incidents has been observed.

The Ministry of Justice issued a resolution criminalizing any sectarian speech that instigates hatred or violence on social media.

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