Chicago – July 22, 2025
An American citizen from Oklahoma was among eight men, all family members, rounded up and killed in an execution-style attack during the sectarian violence that flared in Syria last week.
Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian-American, was identified by friend Bahaa Imad and a US relative as one of eight men whose killing was captured on a video that circulated on social media over the weekend.
The video, which has been geolocated by CNN, shows a group of armed men wearing military uniforms and face masks firing on eight captives while shouting “God is great.”
CNN cannot independently verify the identify of the gunmen in the video. It has reached out to the Syrian government for comment.
Saraya’s brother Kareem and other family members were also executed, according to the US relative, who asked not to be named for her safety. She spoke directly with relatives in Syria who said the family’s male members had all been killed – leaving only their wives and daughters.
The killings occurred on July 17 amid an outbreak of sectarian violence between Syrian Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in the Druze-majority Suwayda province.
