Syrian Poet Gets Killed in Suwayda

(MENAFN) A Syrian poet lost his life after being fatally shot near his residence by armed men connected to Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri in the southern province of Suwayda, according to reports released by local outlets on Monday.

The shooting targeted Anwar Al-Shaer late Sunday evening in the village of Bousan, located in eastern Suwayda, as reported by a news agency. Assailants reportedly opened fire outside his home, leaving him critically wounded.

According to the news agency, which quoted local informants, the assault was executed by the so-called “National Guard,” an illegal faction allegedly tied to al-Hijri, reportedly in response to Al-Shaer’s outspoken condemnation of his militia.

Health officials stated that the poet’s remains were transferred to the National Hospital in Suwayda, bearing three bullet injuries, including one to the head.

The agency also noted that Al-Shaer’s final message on social media sharply criticized outlawed factions, characterizing them as a “tail” lingering from the former regime’s presence in Suwayda.

This killing occurred roughly two weeks after the deaths of religious figures Raed al-Mutni and Maher Falhout, who reportedly perished under torture following their detention by a group associated with al-Hijri’s armed networks.

In a separate development, a Syrian state channel, citing an anonymous security official, reported that insurgent factions in Suwayda launched mortar attacks on Syrian security force positions in the Tel Hadid area of the province’s countryside, marking a fresh breach of an existing ceasefire.

The Druze population in Suwayda recognizes three main religious leaders—Hikmat al-Hijri, Hammoud Yahya al-Hinnawi, and Yusuf Jarbou’—whose stances on political and security matters occasionally differ.

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