Latest news with #Syrian-American

Epoch Times
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Epoch Times
Syrian American Man Among Members of Druze Community Killed in Sectarian Clashes in Syria
BEIRUT—A Syrian-American man of the Druze religious minority was killed in southern Syria when he got caught up in sectarian clashes there last week while visiting family members, relatives, and officials said Tuesday. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of U.S citizen Hossam Soraya in the city of Sweida and extended its condolences to his family. His relatives and friends told The Associated Press that Saraya, in his mid-30s from Oklahoma, was killed in an attack on July 16.


CNN
14 hours ago
- Entertainment
- CNN
Surviving roommate's statement read at Kohberger sentencing
Surviving roommate's statement read at Kohberger sentencing During Bryan Kohberger's sentencing hearing, Bethany Funke, one of the surviving roommates in the case, had her victim impact statement read by her friend Emily Alandt. 01:23 - Source: CNN Vertical Top News 12 videos Surviving roommate's statement read at Kohberger sentencing During Bryan Kohberger's sentencing hearing, Bethany Funke, one of the surviving roommates in the case, had her victim impact statement read by her friend Emily Alandt. 01:23 - Source: CNN Metal legend Ozzy Osbourne dies at 76-years-old Ozzy Osbourne, the hellraising frontman of Black Sabbath and reality TV star, has died aged 76. CNN's Stephanie Elam looks back at the legendary career as the Godfather of Heavy Metal. 03:05 - Source: CNN Newly uncovered photos show Jeffrey Epstein attended Trump's wedding in 1993 Photos from Trump's 1993 wedding and video footage from 1999 Victoria's Secret fashion show shed light on Trump-Epstein relationship. CNN's Andrew Kaczynski has the story. 01:31 - Source: CNN Missing child case from 46 years ago reopened A federal appeals court overturned the verdict of Pedro Hernandez, the bodega worker who was found guilty in 2017 of kidnapping and murdering Etan Patz in 1979. Patz was 6 years old when he disappeared on the first day he was allowed to walk alone to his school bus stop in New York City. 01:50 - Source: CNN US citizen among Druze executed in Syria Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian-American from Oklahoma, was among eight men, all family members, rounded up and killed in an execution-style attack amid an outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria this month. The violence flared between Syrian Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in the Druze-majority Suwayda province. Video geolocated by CNN shows a group of men, Saraya included, being marched to their death. 02:04 - Source: CNN Epstein's brother vividly details relationship between Trump and Epstein Jeffrey Epstein's brother, Mark, tells CNN's Erin Burnett about his brother's 'very close' friendship with Donald Trump in the 1990s. 02:01 - Source: CNN Stephen Colbert addresses 'The Late Show' cancellation 'Cancel culture has gone too far,' Stephen Colbert told the audience as he began his first post-cancellation episode of 'The Late Show.' The host went on to fire back at Trump's Truth Social post celebrating the announcement by CBS. The episode also featured cameos by late night talk show hosts including Jimmy Fallon, Jon Stewart, John Oliver and Seth Meyers. 01:24 - Source: CNN Jon Stewart slams CBS for canceling 'Late Show' "The Daily Show" host Jon Stewart slammed CBS during his first broadcast since Stephen Colbert announced "The Late Show" would not return beyond May 2026. Some critics alleged the cancellation of Colbert's show is an effort to smooth the parent company's desired merger with Skydance Media. CBS cited financial reasons for discontinuing the show. 01:49 - Source: CNN Small Irish town confronts its dark past Excavations of the remains of nearly 800 babies have begun at a former so-called mother and baby home in Tuam, Ireland. At least 9,000 infants and children died in more than a dozen of these institutions over the course of eight decades. 02:11 - Source: CNN Fire tornado rips through Turkish forest Turkey's forestry ministry has released video of a fire tornado tearing through the country's woodland. Hundreds of wildfires have gripped Turkey this summer, as well as Greece and other Mediterranean countries. 00:33 - Source: CNN Breonna Taylor's mother speaks out on officer's sentencing CNN's Laura Coates speaks with Tamika Palmer, Breonna Taylor's mother, about the sentencing of former Louisville police officer Brett Hankison. He was given three years in prison for using excessive force during the deadly 2020 Breonna Taylor raid. 01:45 - Source: CNN Will Commanders' billionaire owners give in to Trump? President Donald Trump has threatened to restrict a stadium deal with the NFL's Washington Commanders if they don't change the team name back to 'Redskins.' CNN Contributor and Prime Video host of "The Cari Champion Show" Cari Champion says she has 'a hard time believing' the owners will capitulate. 02:10 - Source: CNN


Hamilton Spectator
a day ago
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
A Syrian American man is among members of the Druze community killed in sectarian clashes in Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian-American man of the Druze religious minority was killed in southern Syria when he got caught up in sectarian clashes there last week while visiting family members, relatives and officials said Tuesday. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of U.S citizen Hossam Soraya in the city of Sweida and extended its condolences to his family. His relatives and friends told The Associated Press that Saraya, in his mid-30s from Oklahoma, was killed in an attack last Wednesday. The violence in Sweida provice , where the city of Sweida is the provincial capital, erupted earlier this month between the Druze community , an offshoot of Shiite Islam, and the local Sunni Bedouin tribes, drawing in Syrian government forces, which effectively sided with the Bedouins. Hundreds of people were killed — both civilians and combatants — before a ceasefire calmed the fighting, only for clashes to restart days later. The U.N. International Organization for Migration said more than 130,000 people were displaced during the fighting. The fighting threatened Syria's fragile transition and underscored the difficulties the new government faces as it tries to consolidate control over the country, months after Islamist-led insurgents ousted longtime autocrat Bashar Assad last December. Neighboring Israel also intervened, striking Syrian forces — actions Israel said was in defense of the Druze, who are also a significant minority in Israel. A raid by gunmen in military uniform The clashes started as a series of tit-for-tat kidnappings between armed Bedouin clans and Druze militias. Government forces intervened to stop the hostilities but effectively sided with the Bedouins. On Wednesday, Soraya was abducted with his brother Karim, their father Ghassan and three other relatives from the family home by gunmen who later shot and killed them in a square in Sweida, his friends and relatives said, speaking on condition of anonymity fearing reprisals. The gunmen told them they were government forces and assured the women nothing would happen to their men as they took them away, one of Soraya's friends said. The gunmen returned later and threatened the women and children, before leaving without harming them but taking off with gold and other valuables from the house, the friend said. They said they believe government forces were behind the killings but did not elaborate. The Syrian Defense Ministry says Tuesday it was investigating 'shocking and serious violations committed by an unknown group wearing military uniforms' in Sweida, without giving further details. The ministry did not specifically mention Saraya's killing. Oklahoma Sen. James Lankford said on Monday he was heartbroken over Saraya's killing. 'We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss.' Lankford said in a post on X, formerly Twitter. Fellow Oklahoma Sen. Markwayne Mullin meanwhile said that he is working with 'partners in the region to learn more.' Trying to reach the family After new of the violence broke out, Saraya's relatives in America could not get a hold of him and other male family members in the Druze-majority city. They were told by remaining relatives in Sweida of the raid and that Saraya and the others were taken away by gunmen. Then, to their horror, they recognized Hossam and the other men from the family in a video posted on social media showing gunmen in military uniform sprayed their relatives with automatic fire as tehy were kneeling on the asphalt in a Sweida roundabout. Another video that surfaced later, shows their relatives being marched off by at least 10 armed men in military uniform, chatting among themselves, smiling and posing for the camera. A life in America Although Hossam had been living in the United States since 2014, he remained engaged in the community back home in Syria. He and his brother co-founded an online school named after their family for Syrians abroad interested in completing their education with their native country's curriculum, with millions scattered around the world after the almost 14-year civil war that erupted in 2011 and ended with Assad's ouster. On the school's social media page, Syrians and Oklahomans paid tribute to Hossam and his family after their deaths were announced. More than half of the roughly 1 million Druze worldwide live in Syria. The others live in Lebanon and Israel, including in the Golan Heights, which Israel captured from Syria in the 1967 Mideast War and annexed in 1981. Most Druze in Syria have supported a more diplomatic approach with the new government in Damascus but the clashes in Sweida have left many doubtful of a peaceful coexistence the new leaders in the post-Assad era. ___ Associated Press writer Farnoush Amiri in New York contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .


New York Post
a day ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Oklahoma man among Druze family killed in execution-style shooting in Syria
A Syrian-American who was taking care of his ill father was among the eight Druze men kidnapped from their family home and executed in the middle of the street in Syria last week, harrowing video shows. Viral video of the Druze-Bedouin conflict shows the final moments of Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old from Oklahoma who flew back to his homeland to take care of his sick father in Sweida, where Syria's Druze minority reside, CNN reported. Saraya and seven of his relatives were hauled out of their house at gunpoint and forced to march to the middle of Tishreen Square, where they were made to kneel before the armed men opened fire on them. 5 Hosam Saraya, a Syrian-American, was among the members of the Druze community killed in last week's violence with the Bedouin. Instagram/Hosam Saraya 5 Saraya and seven relatives were taken to a town square and forced on their knees before armed men executed them. X/visegrad24 The carnage occurred during a week of fighting across Sweida before a cease-fire deal with the country's new government was struck. Fighters for the new regime were also accused of assisting Bedouin gunmen in carrying out the sectarian violence against the Druze, with one of Saraya's relatives claiming that a man from the government was involved in the massacre against her family. 'One of them was wearing a General Security uniform … the black one,' she told CNN. ''They told us, 'We are the army of Ahmad Al-Jolani (the Syrian president).'' 'They threatened us, told us not to make a sound or we will kill you,' she added. 'They threatened us with rape … he told me if you speak I will come and kill you.' 5 Saraya, a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University, posted photos of himself earning his US citizenship in 2023. Instagram/Hosam Saraya 5 The Bedouin and Druze engaged in days of fighting that resulted in Israel attacking Syrian military sites to protect the minority group. AFP via Getty Images The Syrian government has denied any involvement in the killings, reiterating that its forces were deployed to Sweida to establish peace between the two groups. A cease-fire was eventually struck on Friday after the Israeli military launched airstrikes in Syria, warning that it would not allow violence against the Druze to go on nor have Damascus' forces be deployed so close to the border. The State Department confirmed Monday that an American was killed in Sweida last week, with Sen. James Lankford (R-OK) later revealing that Saraya was the victim. 5 Bodies covered in sheets were placed on the ground in Syria as Sweida reels from last week's violence. AFP via Getty Images '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,' the senator wrote on X. 'We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them,' the State Department said in a statement. 'We are greatly concerned when any US citizen is harmed overseas, wherever they are. The United States calls for accountability in all cases where US citizens are harmed abroad.' Saray lived in Oklahoma for the last 10 years and earned his MBA at the Christian University, with the dual citizen opening up a virtual school in Syria, family members told local KOCO.


Toronto Star
a day ago
- Politics
- Toronto Star
A Syrian American man is among members of the Druze community killed in sectarian clashes in Syria
BEIRUT (AP) — A Syrian-American man of the Druze religious minority was killed in southern Syria when he got caught up in sectarian clashes there last week while visiting family members, relatives and officials said Tuesday. The U.S. State Department confirmed the death of U.S citizen Hossam Soraya in the city of Sweida and extended its condolences to his family. His relatives and friends told The Associated Press that Saraya, in his mid-30s from Oklahoma, was killed in an attack last Wednesday.