An armed attack on Christians in the city of Al-Suqaylabiyah in the Hama countryside by gunmen from Qalaat Al-Madiq and its surroundings. Shops and homes were fired on and looted. A woman was injured on the Al Mashwar road.

Sources from Al Suqaylabiyah:

There was a clash between young men from the village of Qal'at al-Madiq—north of Al-Suqaylabiyah—and local youths; the altercation began after the visitors harassed local girls and the town's young men intervened to defend them.

Subsequently, dozens of gunmen from Qal'at al-Madiq entered Al-Suqaylabiyah via the Tal Baqlo road. They assaulted civilians and shops, fired weapons and threw grenades, claiming they were pursuing "regime remnants."

Local security forces were unable to prevent the gunmen from entering the town's market. Later, external “security” forces arrived; they attacked some shops and arrested the local youths under the pretext of “resolving the situation” while doing nothing to punish the Qal’at al Madiq thugs. For years, missiles were fired at the Christian town from the terrorist-Nusra-Front gangs that occupied Qal’at al Madiq, less than 1km away from the town.

A local priest wrote the following on his Facebook page:

My children,

My beloved children, what is happening today in our community is unacceptable and condemned. No one has the right to enter your homes or threaten your security and dignity.

We do not want chaos, nor do we want revenge, but we will also not accept that our children live in fear or that the tragedy of destruction we have known before be repeated.

Be strong, stand united, and be as one; protect one another, help the women, children, and the elderly, and leave no one alone.

And I say to those in authority, clearly: your responsibility is to protect the people, not to stand idly by in the face of fear and aggression. Uncontrolled weapons cannot be a substitute for the rule of law.

We demand security, justice, and accountability, not vengeance. We refuse to allow our community to become an arena of chaos or for innocent people to pay the price for the incompetence of others.

Be courageous but wise, stand united but do not be drawn into violence. For bloodshed will not rebuild a home or secure a future. The Lord is with us, and we will not abandon one another.