American man from Oklahoma 'brutally executed' by Syrian-backed jihadis
The State Department confirmed on Tuesday to Fox News Digital that an American, who has been identified as Hosam Saraya from Oklahoma, was killed in Syria. A State Department spokesperson said, "Time and time again, Secretary Rubio has emphasized the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of U.S. citizens. We can confirm the death of a U.S. citizen in the Sweida region of Syria last week. We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them."
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla, wrote on X, "Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria. We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss."
Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla, wrote on X that an "American citizen from Oklahoma" was "brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria," adding, "I'm working with partners in the region to learn more, and we're in touch with @GovStitt on this devastating situation. Our prayers are with the family at this time."
President Ahmed Al-Sharaa had reportedly taken the side of the jihadi-influenced Bedouin tribes who executed Druze residents in southern Syria, declaring they carried out "heroic actions."
Al-Sharaa, who used a nom de guerre "Abu Mohammed al-Golani," was on the FBI's Most Wanted List from 2013 through 2024 for his role in terrorism. Critics accuse al-Sharaa of seeking to violently repress the struggling ethnic and religious minority populations in Syria – Christians, Druze, and Kruds.
Last week Israel launched military strikes against the jihadi forces on their way to the southern city of Sweida, where there is a large Druze population, to stop the massacre. Israel also attacked the Syrian Defense headquarters in Damascus to halt the bloodshed in Sweida.
An Israel Defense Force spokesman told Fox News Digital during a Zoom call that it "learned its lesson" from the Hamas invasion of the Jewish state in 2023 and has two goals in southern Syria: border security and the rescue of Syrian Druze.
The bulk of the world's Druze community lives in Syria. There are also sizable Druze populations in Israel and Lebanon.
Arizona GOP Congressman Abe Hamadeh, who is of Druze background, told Fox News Digital, "The barbaric violence against the Druze community in Syria must end immediately. Under the bold leadership of President Donald J. Trump, Secretary Rubio, and Ambassador Barrack, the United States took bold steps to ease sanctions and extend goodwill to the Syrian government and its people in the hope of seeing real reforms."
Hamadeh, whose mother is from Sweida, added, "Now is the time for the Syrian government to turn their words into real actions, if they want to maintain legitimacy: restore order, protect all of its citizens, and demonstrate a genuine commitment to peace and long-term stability. The only way is to build a new Syria that is reflective of its ethnic and religious mosaic. The United States wants Syria to succeed, but bloodshed, senseless violence, and division is not the path forward."
The Arizona congressman said, "My staff and I are engaged in interagency efforts to ascertain what is, and is not, happening on the ground in Syria amid the fog of this conflict. We will not rest until all American remains and victims are returned. Justice and accountability must be served. We are praying for the victims and for peace."
Al-Sharaa's rule since he toppled the pro-Iran regime of Bashar al-Assad in December has experienced massacres of Alawites, Christian and Druze. Critics argue that Al-Sharaa refuses to rope in the jihadi forces who seek to impose a Taliban-style rule on Syria.
After Al-Sharaa's forces executed Syrian Christians in March, Rev. Johnnie Moore, the president of the Congress of Christian Leaders, told Fox News Digital: "This is a warning that the Syrian government is not ready for prime time if it can't protect a handful of vulnerable Christians who had absolutely nothing to do with this violence except being its victims,"
The death toll involving the clashes between Sunni Bedouin tribes and Druze fighters, which includes government forces and Israel, topped 1,000, according to the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Washington helped implement a fragile ceasefire. SOHR noted, "Reaching an agreement including ceasefire and sponsored by Washington coincided with threats to keep Syria on the list of state sponsors of terrorism, in case that the agreement's terms were violated."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Associated Press
26 minutes ago
- Associated Press
Syria's Druze fear for their future after sectarian clashes
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) — Before the eruption of sectarian violence in southern Syria, Saber Abou Ras taught medical sciences at a university in the city of Sweida and was somewhat hopeful of a better future for his country as it emerged from nearly 14 years of civil war. Now, like many others in the Druze-majority city in southern Syria, he carries arms and refuses to give them up to the government. He sees little hope for the united Syria he recently thought was in reach. 'We are for national unity, but not the unity of terrorist gangs,' Abou Ras, a Druze, told The Associated Press in a phone call from the battered city. Clashes broke out last week that were sparked by tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and fighters with the Druze religious minority. The violence killed hundreds of people and threatened to unravel Syria's fragile postwar transition. Syrian government forces intervened to end the fighting, but effectively sided with the clans. Disturbing videos and reports soon surfaced of Druze civilians being humiliated and executed, sometimes accompanied by sectarian slurs. One showed gunmen in military uniform asking an unarmed man about his identity. When he replies that he is Syrian, the gunmen demand, 'What do you mean Syrian? Are you Sunni or Druze?' When the man says he is Druze, the men open fire, killing him. Hossam Saraya, a Syrian-American Druze from Oklahoma, was shown in another video, kneeling with his brother, father, and at least three other relatives, before a group of men in military garb sprayed them with automatic fire and celebrated. A religious sect with roots in Islam The Druze religious sect is an offshoot of Ismailism, a branch of Shiite Islam. Outsiders are not allowed to convert, and most religious practices are shrouded in secrecy. There are roughly a million Druze worldwide and more than half of them live in Syria. The others live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights — which Israel captured from Syria during the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Though a small community within Syria's population of more than 20 million, Sweida's Druze take pride in their involvement in liberating the country from Ottoman and later French colonial rule, and establishing the present-day Syrian state. During the uprising-turned-civil war that started in 2011, Druze leaders reached a fragile agreement with former President Bashar Assad that gave Sweida semi-autonomy, leaving the minority group to protect its own territory instead of serving in the Syrian military. Most Druze celebrated Assad's fall The Druze largely welcomed the fall of Assad in December in a rebel offensive that ended decades of autocratic rule by the Assad dynasty. The Druze were largely skeptical of the Islamist background of Syria's interim president Ahmad al-Sharaa, especially as he once led the al-Qaida-linked Nusra Front. But many, including influential clerics, supported diplomatically engaging with the new leadership. Among those more hostile towards al-Sharaa is spiritual leader Sheikh Hikmat al-Hijri and a faction of Druze militias called the Sweida Military Council. There were intense divisions between them and others in the Druze community for months. Previous clashes between Druze armed groups and government forces were resolved before the violence could escalate. A security agreement was reached between the Druze and Damascus in May that was intended to bring about long-term calm. But the recent clashes and sectarian attacks in Sweida have upset that balance, and many Druze appear to have lost hope in reaching a fair settlement diplomatically. Sectarian violence after the fall of Assad Many Druze see the government's attacks as an extension of a wave of sectarian violence that broke out months ago on Syria's coast. Clashes between the new government's forces and Assad loyalists spiraled into revenge killings targeting members of the Alawite minority to which Assad belongs. A government investigation into the coastal violence found that more than 1,400 people were killed, mostly civilians, and that members of the security forces were implicated in the attacks. The difference in Sweida, as Abou Ras, the Druze medical sciences professor, sees it, is that the Druze had their own armed factions that were able to fight back. 'They talked about respecting minorities and the different components of Syria,' he said. 'But what happened at the coast was a hard lesson for Syrians, and we learned from it.' The interim president denies that Druze are being targeted After the violence in Sweida, Al-Sharaa vowed to hold perpetrators to account, and restated his promises since taking power that he will not exclude Syria's minority groups. He and other officials have insisted that they are not targeting the Druze, but armed factions that are challenging state authority, namely those led by al-Hijri. Al-Sharaa also accused Israel of trying to exacerbate divisions in the country by launching airstrikes on government forces in the province, which Israel said was in defense of the Druze. The tensions have already created new challenges to forging national unity. Other minority groups — particularly the Kurdish forces controlling Syria's northeast, who have been in negotiations with Damascus to merge with the new national army — are reconsidering surrendering their weapons after seeing the violence in Sweida. A Syrian Druze who lived abroad for over 20 years was in Syria when Assad fell and celebrated with friends and family on the streets of Sweida. He quit his job to move back and be involved with the community. He joined in with people who waved Syria's new flag that symbolized the uprising, danced, and stepped on torn portraits of Assad. He said he wanted al-Sharaa to be successful, but now he doesn't see a peaceful future for Syria's different ethnic and religious groups with him at the helm. 'In every household (in Sweida), someone has died,' he told the AP. The Associated Press could not confirm that independently as there was no official death toll. However, it was a sentiment frequently shared by Syrians from Sweida. He asked to have his name and other identifying details withheld out of fear for his and his family's safety. 'I think after the massacres that happened, there is not a single person in Sweida that wants anything to do with this government, unfortunately,' he said. 'This government butchered people, and butchered any possibility to (bring) reconciliation and harmonize the south.' ___ Chehayeb reported from Beirut.
Yahoo
5 hours ago
- Yahoo
Thai-Cambodia Clashes Enter Second Day as US Calls for Ceasefire
(Bloomberg) -- The armed military conflict between Thailand and Cambodia entered a second day, with troops using rockets and artillery to shell targets along their contested border as the US joined other nations in calling for an immediate ceasefire. Trump Awards $1.26 Billion Contract to Build Biggest Immigrant Detention Center in US The High Costs of Trump's 'Big Beautiful' New Car Loan Deduction Can This Bridge Ease the Troubled US-Canadian Relationship? Salt Lake City Turns Winter Olympic Bid Into Statewide Bond Boom Thailand's government put the death toll from the deadliest clashes in more than a decade at 14, including a soldier. Thai authorities have also said more than two dozen people were injured, some seriously, while Cambodia is yet to report on casualties. The Thai army said Cambodian 'forces conducted sustained bombardment' using heavy weapons, field artillery and rockets through Friday morning, and that it responded appropriately and advised civilians to avoid the conflict zones. Cambodia's defense ministry confirmed shelling overnight and claimed to control the site of three disputed temples, the Khmer Times reported. Read: What's Behind Deadly Thailand-Cambodia Border Clash?: QuickTake The flareup in clashes on Thursday, which included Thai airstrikes on Cambodian military bases using F-16 fighter jets and Phnom Penh's attack on civilian areas in Thailand, followed a months-long border standoff that also pushed Thailand's ruling coalition to the brink of collapse. Thai stocks and baht declined a second day. The baht fell 0.2% to 32.33 per dollar, in line with regional peers, while the benchmark stock index fell as much as 0.6%. The fighting has drawn condemnation from world leaders, with the US saying it was gravely concerned. Read: Cambodia Clash Heaps Pressure on Embattled Thai PM, Boosts Army 'The United States urges an immediate cessation of hostilities, protection of civilians, and a peaceful resolution of the conflict,' State Department deputy spokesman Tommy Pigott told reporters in Washington on Thursday. Burning Man Is Burning Through Cash Elon Musk's Empire Is Creaking Under the Strain of Elon Musk It's Not Just Tokyo and Kyoto: Tourists Descend on Rural Japan Confessions of a Laptop Farmer: How an American Helped North Korea's Wild Remote Worker Scheme A Rebel Army Is Building a Rare-Earth Empire on China's Border ©2025 Bloomberg L.P. Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Hill
11 hours ago
- The Hill
US will skip UN conference on two-state solution for Israel, Palestine
The U.S. will skip the upcoming United Nations (UN) conference aimed at bolstering efforts to reach a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians slated for next week, according to the State Department. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said during his Thursday briefing to reporters that he had 'nothing further' to add about the summit, scheduled to take place in New York City from July 28-29, 'beyond saying that we will not be in attendance of that conference.' The conference is co-hosted by Saudi Arabia and France. The summit hopes to outline a framework for a Palestinian state. The gathering was previously postponed in June after Israel launched strikes against Iran. Israel and Iran's war lasted for 12 days and the two sides came to a ceasefire, which was brokered by the Trump administration, on June 24. The U.S. struck three nuclear sites in Iran on June 21. The Trump administration has previously slammed the conference, urging allies not to attend and warning that nations that do could face consequences from Washington. 'We are urging governments not to participate in the conference, which we view as counterproductive to ongoing, life-saving efforts to end the war in Gaza and free hostages,' an internal U.S. diplomatic cable, reviewed by Reuters, said. 'The United States opposes any steps that would unilaterally recognise a conjectural Palestinian state, which adds significant legal and political obstacles to the eventual resolution of the conflict and could coerce Israel during a war, thereby supporting its enemies,' the U.S. officials added in the cable. The decision to skip the conference comes as the tension has increased between the administration and the UN, with the State Department announcing earlier this week the U.S. will once again pull out of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, arguing the organization has 'strayed from its founding mission.' The U.S. has long supported a two-state solution between Israel and the Palestinians, backing the formation of a state in Gaza and along the West Bank. President Trump said in February that the U.S. should take over the Gaza Strip and that Palestinians should be relocated. Mike Huckabee, the U.S. Ambassador to Israel, was quoted by Bloomberg News in June saying that he did not think a sovereign Palestinian state is still the goal of U.S. foreign policy. State Department spokesperson Tammy Bruce later told reporters that Huckabee 'certainly speaks for himself.' Trump's Middle East envoy Steve Witkoff said on Thursday that Palestinian militant group Hamas has shown a 'lack of desire' to reach a ceasefire with Israel. 'We will now consider alternative options to bring the hostages home and try to create a more stable environment for the people of Gaza. It is a shame that Hamas has acted in this selfish way. We are resolute in seeking an end to this conflict and a permanent peace in Gaza,' Witkoff said in a statement.
