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In Homs, the triple murder of an Alawite family revives accusations of sectarian crimes

Amid killings, abductions and unexplained disappearances, the country’s third-largest city remains one of the main hotspots of sectarian tensions in post-Assad Syria.

In Homs, the triple murder of an Alawite family revives accusations of sectarian crimes

Members of the Syrian security forces stand guard near the new Clock Tower in central Homs on the eve of Adha, the Muslim festival of sacrifice, on the evening of June 4, 2025. (Credit: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)

Their black-and-white photos have been widely shared alongside outraged posts by Syrians who see, in the tragedy of the Khansa family, yet another sectarian crime in the city of Homs.Men on motorcycles opened fire on Sunday on the balcony of Amina Qair, 39, and her two children, Loujain and Issa Khansa, 16 and 9, in the predominantly Alawite al-Sabil neighborhood, seriously injuring them. The family succumbed to their wounds later in the day.The attackers fled immediately after the shooting. An investigation has been opened, but amid authorities’ silence and no official statement on the motive behind the crime, suspicions of sectarian revenge are on everyone’s minds.The Khansa family was Alawite.Rising crime rates Homs, the country’s third-largest city, the former “capital of the revolution,” where Christian, Sunni and Alawite...
Their black-and-white photos have been widely shared alongside outraged posts by Syrians who see, in the tragedy of the Khansa family, yet another sectarian crime in the city of Homs.Men on motorcycles opened fire on Sunday on the balcony of Amina Qair, 39, and her two children, Loujain and Issa Khansa, 16 and 9, in the predominantly Alawite al-Sabil neighborhood, seriously injuring them. The family succumbed to their wounds later in the day.The attackers fled immediately after the shooting. An investigation has been opened, but amid authorities’ silence and no official statement on the motive behind the crime, suspicions of sectarian revenge are on everyone’s minds.The Khansa family was Alawite.Rising crime rates Homs, the country’s third-largest city, the former “capital of the revolution,” where Christian, Sunni and...
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