A Syrian poet was shot dead outside his home by gunmen affiliated with Druze leader Hikmat al-Hijri in Syria's southern Suwayda province, local media reported on Monday.
Gunmen opened fire on Anwar Al-Shaer in the village of Bousan in the eastern Suwayda province Sunday night, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) said.
SANA, citing local sources, said the attack was carried out by the so-called "National Guard," an outlaw group linked to al-Hijri over the criticism of his militia.
Medical sources said the poet's body was brought to the National Hospital in Suwayda with three gunshot wounds, one of them to the head.
According to SANA, the poet's last social media post included criticism of the outlaw groups, describing them as a "tail" left behind by the former regime in Suwayda.
The assassination comes about two weeks after the killing of religious figures Raed al-Mutni and Maher Falhout, who died under torture after being detained by a faction affiliated with al-Hijri's gangs.
Separately, Syrian state channel Alikhbaria, citing an unnamed security source, said that rebel groups in Suwayda fired mortar shells at positions of Syrian security forces in the Tel Hadid area in the Suwayda countryside, in a new violation of a ceasefire agreement.
The Druze community in Suwayda has three religious authorities, whose positions sometimes diverge: Hikmat al-Hijri, Hammoud Yahya al-Hinnawi, and Yusuf Jarbou'.
Followers of al-Hijri constitute a minority and are not considered representative of the Druze community in the province.
Suwayda has observed a ceasefire since July 19 following a weeklong bout of clashes between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes that left hundreds dead.
Since Bashar al-Assad's ouster in late 2024, Syria's new administration has taken several measures to restore security in Syria and pursued political and economic reforms while promoting social cohesion and working to expand cooperation with regional and international partners.
Assad, Syria's leader for nearly 25 years, fled to Russia last December, ending the Baath Party regime, which had been in power since 1963. A new transitional administration led by President Ahmad al-Sharaa was formed in January.
