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Assassination of a Doctor in Aleppo Who Opposed the Coastal Massacre… Bloody Eliminations Continue
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The successive assassinations across various Syrian regions reflect the absence of the rule of law and the spread of extrajudicial punishment driven by political and sectarian motives
Dr. Hussam al-Darir was killed by unknown armed assailants in an organized "liquidation" operation after they stormed his clinic in the Seif al-Dawla neighborhood of Aleppo. This attack comes amid a series of assassinations in the city, raising questions about their true motives and the parties behind them.
Sources from the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that the slain doctor was known for his opposition to the former regime and had publicly criticized the bloody operations that took place in the Syrian coastal region on March 7 and 8 of last year. Human rights reports indicate that targeting opposition figures has become a recurring pattern across Syrian regions, especially those who have taken clear political stances.
This incident falls within the broader context of ongoing chaos and security breakdown throughout Syria, with no effective measures to curb it. Many activists fear that assassinations have become a means of settling political and personal scores in the absence of the rule of law.
In a related incident, gunmen executed six civilians, mostly from the "Mando" family, accused of collaborating with the former regime, using silenced pistols in the Sheikh Saeed neighborhood of Aleppo.
This incident reflects a recurring pattern of mass killings targeting entire families due to their past political affiliations. The assailants, a group of four masked men on two motorcycles, fled to an unknown location after committing the crime.
Security experts note that the use of motorcycles, masks, and silencers confirms the organized nature of these operations, indicating they are not random acts.
Meanwhile, General Security forces deployed at all entry and exit points of the neighborhood amid public anger over the security checkpoints from which the assailants infiltrated to carry out the crime. Residents are demanding accountability for the perpetrators.
Public frustration grows as security agencies continue to fail in protecting civilians and pursuing those responsible for such crimes. On February 16, the Syrian Observatory reported that four members of the "Mido" family from the "Bakkara" tribe were publicly executed in Sheikh Saeed by unknown gunmen.
These repeated incidents raise fears of systematic targeting of specific families and individuals based on their political stances or tribal affiliations. With this latest attack, the number of victims of retaliatory and extrajudicial killings since the beginning of 2025 in various Syrian provinces has risen to 523.
