Syrian Druze sheikh's family told of his murder hours after humiliating video

In a video that went viral, a Druze elder was humiliated by having his moustache shaved off. Hours after his family lost contact with him, they say they received an anonymous call informing them of his death.

The video, filmed in Sweida province amidst the Syrian government forces' deployment in the province, sparked widespread anger as the act of shaving off a cleric's moustache is highly provocative to the Druze.

Syrian government forces on Tuesday entered the majority-Druze city of Sweida, in the country's south, with the stated aim of overseeing a cease-fire agreed with Druze community leaders after clashes with local Bedouin tribes left dozens dead.

However, witnesses reported that the government forces joined with the Bedouin in attacking Druze fighters and civilians in a bloody rampage through the city.

The man in the widely shared video, Sheikh Merhej Shahin, 80, is seen powerless in front of his home as a man in military attire places his hand on his head and shaves off his moustache with the other.

"Surrender the weapons and we will leave you alone," a man told Shahin, before another asked about boxes of ammunition. Shahin replied that they belong to his grandson, Yunes.

Christine Shahin, the man's granddaughter and a journalist based in Beirut, told AFP, "The video of my grandfather spread around 1 p.m. on Tuesday after they entered our village, Thaala," about 12 kilometers west of Sweida city.

"My grandfather was a peaceful man. When [government forces] started their attack, the villagers fled, and we begged him to leave, but he insisted on staying to bury his grandson Yunes, who was killed on Monday by sniper fire," she said.

"They filmed my grandfather and published the video, implying they had left him, but we lost contact with him for hours afterwards," Christine added.

"My aunt repeatedly tried to call him, and at around 8 p.m., someone answered her call and mockingly told her he 'met his end.'"

After the family shared news of Shahin's death, which spread widely on social media, they were contacted and told he had died of a heart attack.

Christine accused government forces of trying "to cover up their actions."

Her uncle and cousin have also been arrested by Syrian authorities, with their fates unknown.

Residents and the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights have reported killings, summary executions and the looting of homes and shops following the deployment of government forces in Sweida.

The violence has sparked fear and anxiety among locals, compounded by a wave of online incitement targeting the Druze minority.

The Syrian presidency on Wednesday pledged to hold the perpetrators accountable, saying in a statement that it "strongly condemns these heinous acts and affirms our full commitment to investigating all related incidents and punishing all those proven to be involved."