Suwayda... The killing of a demonstrator and attacks on the regime’s security branches and “Baath” headquarters

ARK News… The city of Suwayda witnessed the killing of a protester and the injury of another by Syrian regime forces’ bullets, in an unprecedented turn for the protests that have been ongoing since August 2023.

Dozens gathered in front of the 7th of April Hall on Wednesday morning, in response to a call issued by the movement’s organizers, to protest the resumption of the security settlement. Screams rose demanding political change and the overthrow of the regime, and banners were raised confirming the same demands.

After protesters gathered in front of the hall on Wednesday morning, some of them headed towards the square, where there were security forces guarding. A verbal argument broke out between the security personnel and the demonstrators, some of whom tried to storm the hall gate,” according to the Suwayda 24 Network.

The network added, "Security personnel opened machine gun fire in the air and randomly, in an attempt to disperse the protesters, and some of the bullets began to ricochet off the walls," which led to the injury of two people among the demonstrators, one of whom later died from his wounds.

A video clip documented the moment of shooting in front of the Settlement Center and the injury of the demonstrator, Jawad al-Barouki, who died.

The spiritual head of the Droze community, Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri, asked the protesters to adhere to peacefulness, and condemned in the strongest terms the shooting incident, from “the hands of treachery,” calling for the funeral of the victim who fell in the demonstration as a “martyr for duty.”

In a related context, the city of Suwayda yesterday evening witnessed a series of missile attacks by unidentified gunmen targeting the regime’s security branches, military sites, and the headquarters of the “Baath Party,” followed by violent clashes with machine guns, after which the battles extended to the towns of Qanawat, Shahba, and Salim, north of the governorate.

While no party claimed responsibility for these attacks, several local sources commented that they appeared to be in the context of reactions to the shooting incident by Syrian regime security personnel on peaceful demonstrators, which led to the death of one of them.

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