ALBAWABA - On Sunday, Syria's Interior Ministry announced a citywide curfew in Homs that would last from 5 p.m. to 5 a.m. This was done because of the killing of a man and his wife in the town of Zaidal and the presence of sectarian writing at the crime scene.
Homs area is known for having a delicate mix of different religious groups. The government stressed that protecting minority communities is still a top priority. The government has asked all Syrians many times to help rebuild the country after the 14-year war that ended in late 2024 and removed Bashar al-Assad as president.
Syrian state media say that more security was sent to places south of Homs to stop people from trying to use the crime to stir up sectarian conflict. The Interior Ministry said on Telegram that after the incident, a lot of internal security troops were sent to Zaidal and nearby areas to help with security.
Authorities said that special units are gathering proof, finding suspects, and going after the criminals. People were told to stay cool and do what the authorities told them to do.
Head of Homs's internal security, Brig. Gen. Marhaf al-Nassan, said that the victims were found dead in their home early Sunday morning. He also said that sectarian words had been written on the scene, which he thought was a sign of attempts to cause trouble among the people living there.
He said that the killings were an attempt to start a sectarian fight and asked people in the area to keep their emotions in check and let the investigators do their job. He stated that a full investigation is being carried out, which includes securing the scene, collecting forensic evidence, and starting a large-scale search for the people who did it.
State TV said that dozens of people from Zaidal gathered outside the victims' home and demanded that the killers be found quickly so that the province doesn't become even more unstable and tense.
Almost a year ago, on December 8, 2024, protesters in Syria took over Damascus and announced the removal of Bashar al-Assad, who had been in power since 2000 after taking it from his father, Hafez al-Assad.
