US looking into reports American citizen killed in Syria's Suwayda

WASHINGTON — The State Department is looking into reports that a US citizen was killed during the unrest in the southern Syrian city of Suwayda.

According to unverified social media reports, Hosam Saraya, a Druze man, was killed in the violence that erupted earlier this month. A video circulating online purported to show the execution-style shooting of Saraya and members of his family at the hands of unidentified attackers.

Al-Monitor cannot independently confirm the reports about Saraya.

Reached for comment, a State Department official speaking on condition of anonymity said, “The department is looking into accounts of the death of an individual reported to have been a US citizen in Syria.”

Hundreds of Syrians have been killed in clashes between Druze militiamen and Sunni Bedouin fighters that began July 13, prompting the Syrian government to dispatch troops meant to restore order. Israel, which has its own Druze population, intervened with airstrikes it said were aimed at protecting the Syrian Druze.

Early Saturday, US special envoy for Syria Tom Barrack announced a ceasefire between Syria and Israel, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio called on Damascus to prevent “violent jihadists” from “carrying out massacres” in the country’s south.

On Monday, the Syrian government began evacuating Bedouin civilians from the predominantly Druze city of Suwayda. The United Nations’ International Organization for Migration says more than 128,500 people have been displaced since the clashes began over a week ago.