Prominent Shiite Cleric Assassinated Near Homs, Syria Sparks Sectarian Tensions
The assassination of Sheikh Rasoul Shahoud—the first Shiite cleric killed since Assad’s fall—triggers unrest among Syria’s Shiite minority and raises concerns over growing sectarian violence.
Watan-A prominent Shiite cleric was found shot dead near the city of Homs in central Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday. A Shiite religious authority in Syria condemned what it described as an “assassination.”
According to the Observatory, Sheikh Rasoul Shahoud was found dead from gunshot wounds on Wednesday near Homs. He is reportedly the first Shiite cleric to be killed in Syria since the fall of ousted President Bashar al-Assad in December.
The Observatory added that armed assailants directly fired on him while he was in his car, near a General Security checkpoint between the outskirts of Homs and the village of Al-Mazraa, where the cleric was from.
The “Islamic Scholarly Authority for the Followers of Ahl al-Bayt” in Syria mourned Sheikh Shahoud in a post on its official Facebook page late Wednesday.
In a statement signed by its vice president, Adham Al-Khatib, the authority said:“The assassination of this dedicated scholar is a direct attack on the voice of moderation and unity, and a desperate attempt to incite division and sectarian strife.”
The authority added:“We strongly condemn this cowardly and treacherous act and call on the relevant authorities to uncover the circumstances of this heinous crime and to pursue the perpetrators and those behind them to ensure justice.”
The statement did not attribute responsibility for the assassination to any specific party.
According to the Observatory, the village of Al-Mazraa—Shahoud’s hometown—witnessed a wave of anger, as residents held a protest on Wednesday evening condemning the killing.
Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad, who had been supported by Iran, in December, Syria’s Shiite minority—estimated at around 300,000 people living across Damascus, and the rural areas of Homs, Aleppo, and Idlib—has lived in increasing anxiety.
The community quickly expressed support for the transitional authorities, with several of its leaders meeting with interim president Ahmad Al-Sharaa last March.
Prior to Sheikh Shahoud’s assassination, there had been no direct targeting of the Shiite minority, except for a few isolated incidents.
On the occasion of Ashura just days ago, hundreds of Syrian Shiites participated in religious ceremonies at the Sayyida Zainab shrine in Damascus, under heavy security protection.
This incident occurred just as the investigation committee into the coastal region events—where hundreds of Alawites were killed last March—was set to conclude its work on Thursday.
Following those events, clashes broke out in April between Druze fighters and unidentified gunmen near Damascus, resulting in dozens of Druze fatalities, which further heightened minority fears in the country.
In June, a suicide attack on a church in Damascus killed 25 people. The Syrian government blamed the attack on the Islamic State group, deepening those fears further.
Restoring security across Syria remains one of the major challenges facing the new transitional authorities.
In addition to sectarian violence, local residents accuse certain security forces and factions close to the authorities of other violations, including kidnappings of Alawite women along the coast and sporadic field executions in various regions.
