📰 Curfew Imposed in Homs as Sectarian Tensions Erupt After Brutal Double Murder

Authorities in Homs imposed a sweeping curfew on Sunday evening following a gruesome double murder in the village of Zaidal that triggered armed reprisals, sporadic gunfire, and acts of vandalism across multiple southern neighbourhoods. The city was plunged into one of its most severe security crises in months. The curfew, effective from 5:00 PM Sunday to 5:00 AM Monday, was accompanied by the deployment of heavy armed forces police and internal security contingents, particularly along the volatile 60th Street and in the districts of Al-Arman, Al-Bayyada, Al-Sabil, Al-Zahra, and Al-Abbasiyya. A Crime Designed to Ignite Sectarian Fire The incident commenced in Zaidal, south of Homs, where a man from the Bani Khalid tribe and his wife were murdered in their home late Saturday or early Sunday.

Local sources report that the husband was stoned to death and the wife burned alive. Walls of the house were smeared with blood-written sectarian slogans and explicit threats of further atrocities — a clear attempt to provoke communal hostilities. Enraged tribesmen from Bani Khalid moved toward southern neighbourhoods of Homs, firing indiscriminately and damaging shops and vehicles. Security troops intervened quickly, preventing a broader escalation, though intermittent gunfire persisted to echo across parts of the city well into Sunday afternoon.

Security Chief: ‘A Calculated Attempt to Sow Fitna’ In a televised address, Colonel Murhaf al-Naasan, head of Homs Internal Security, verified that sectarian inscriptions were found at the crime scene. He described the killings as a “deliberate attempt to incite fitna (civil strife)” and destabilise the city. An emergency meeting — chaired by the provincial governor and attended by senior army officers, tribal dignitaries, clergy, and community representatives — underscored the need for unified communal and official action to preserve civil peace. Schools were ordered closed on Monday as a precaution.

Bani Khalid Tribe Condemns Killings and Subsequent Chaos The Bani Khalid tribe moved quickly to dissociate itself from the hostilities. In a video statement circulated widely on social media, tribal leaders condemned the “heinous crime” committed against Abdallah al-Abboud and his wife, demanded that the perpetrators be held accountable, and pledged cooperation with state authorities. “We stand with the state and reject any attempt to drag our sons into fitna,” the statement read. Echoes of an Earlier Killing: Two Alawite Cousins Stoned to Death The murders in Zaidal came just days after another chilling incident. On Friday, 21 November, two young Alawite cousins —…