Syrian Shiite dignitary assassinated near Homs

A Shiite religious dignitary was shot dead in the Homs region, in central Syria, an NGO said Thursday, with the country's highest Shiite spiritual authority denouncing an "assassination." He is the first Shiite cleric to be killed since a coalition of Islamist opposition forces overthrew dictator Bashar al-Assad in December. The country's Shiite minority, seen as close to the ousted power, has been living in fear ever since.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the body of Sheikh Rassoul Chahoud was found riddled with bullets Wednesday near Homs. "Armed men shot Sheikh Chahoud, who was in a car, near a security forces checkpoint leading to his village of Mazraa, near Homs," the NGO added.

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In a statement, the highest Shiite religious authority denounced an "assassination," a "blatant attack on the voice of moderation and unity," and a "desperate attempt to sow discord."

Signed by the organization's vice president, Adham al-Khatib, the text calls on authorities to "shed light on the circumstances of this heinous crime" and to "prosecute its perpetrators and those who ordered it," without designating those responsible.

As soon as his death was announced, residents of the village of Mazraa took to the streets to express their anger, according to the SOHR, which is based in the United Kingdom but has a large network of sources in Syria.

The Syrian Shiite community is estimated at about 300,000 people. It immediately pledged support to the new transitional authorities, and a delegation of notables met interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa in March.

This killing comes as a national commission's mission into massacres targeting the Alawite minority on Syria's coast is scheduled to conclude on Thursday. Amnesty International has called on Syrian authorities to publish all the findings of the investigation and to bring those responsible to justice.

In early March, more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed according to the SOHR in the worst massacres since Assad's fall. Assad himself belongs to this community.

Members of the security forces, allied armed groups, and foreign jihadists have been implicated. These massacres were followed by fierce clashes with Druze fighters and an attack on a church in Damascus, rekindling fears among religious minorities during a fragile transition period in a country scarred by 13 years of a devastating civil war.