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CNN Arabic investigation reveals details of abuses inside Sweida National Hospital
CNN Arabic published an investigative report that gathered new evidence about the killing of young volunteer Mohammed Bahsas inside Sweida National Hospital after government forces seized the facility on July 16, 2025, amid five days of some of the deadliest violence the governorate has seen.
Surveillance footage leaked about a month after the incident shows two members of government forces shooting and killing Bahsas in the hospital corridors, prompting the transitional government at the time to acknowledge the incident and pledge an investigation. Nevertheless, the full results of those investigations and comprehensive accountability for all involved have not yet been made public.
The investigation team collected more than eight key testimonies from medical staff and local sources, identified the military unit that took control of the hospital, and reconstructed the sequence of events inside the facility, filling significant gaps in the account of what happened during the days of violence.
The report coincides with the release of a new report by the Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria, which documents widescale waves of violence in Sweida that killed more than 1,700 people and displaced roughly 200,000, recording executions, torture, sexual violence and house burnings. The commission concluded that the violations may amount to war crimes and could potentially rise to crimes against humanity pending further investigation.
The commission’s report describes three successive waves of violence: the first (July 14–16) saw widespread violations by government forces accompanied by tribal fighters against Druze civilians; the second followed the government forces’ withdrawal after Israeli airstrikes and involved attacks on Bedouin civilians; and the third (late July 17–19) comprised retaliatory attacks by tribal fighters again targeting Druze villages, with reports that some government personnel joined after removing their uniforms.
The report documents clear patterns of identity-based targeting — religious, ethnic, gender and age — with men and boys heavily targeted, and records allegations of sexual violence against women and girls from both communities. Investigations are ongoing to determine the full scale of these abuses.
The governorate remains deeply divided and frontlines have been unchanged since July 19, with continued forced displacement: of about 200,000 displaced in July, some 155,000 remain unable to return, many Druze-majority villages remain burned, and most Bedouin communities are virtually uprooted.
CNN Arabic says its investigation is ongoing to gather further evidence and testimonies and will publish updates on national and international judicial investigations and on progress toward accountability for the victims of this widespread violence.
