Two Alawites and a Christian have been killed in an escalation in sectarian attacks in Homs, Syria.

On 18 February Khidr Karakeet and his fiancée Nada Salem, both Alawites, were killed when two masked men riding a motorcycle shot them at close range in the predominantly Alawite neighbourhood of Akrama.

Five days later, on 23 February, Iman Jarrous, a 47-year-old Christian school teacher, was shot in the head in the same neighbourhood. She was killed instantly. CSW sources in Homs believe that the attackers assumed she was an Alawite because she was not wearing a hijab.

Sectarian tensions between Syria’s Sunni majority and Alawite and Druze minorities have been rising since the fall of the Assad regime in December 2024. On 23 November anti-Alawite riots erupted in Homs following the killing of a Sunni Muslim couple. The riots resulted in the destruction of hundreds of houses, shops and cars belonging to the Alawite community.

Later, investigations revealed that the incident that sparked this violence essentially involved a burglary committed by a family member who had killed the couple when they discovered his identity, and had written phrases insulting Sunnis on the walls of the victims’ house to hide his identity.

CSW’s Founder President Mervyn Thomas said: ‘CSW extends deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of the victims of these heinous attacks. We call on the Syrian government, once again, to galvanise efforts to combat extremism, sectarianism and hate speech, ensuring protection for all civilians, including vulnerable minority communities, and that perpetrators are brought swiftly to justice.’