Luftaufnahme der beschädigten St.-Elias-Kirche in Qusayr in Homs am 14. Dezember 2024 (AFP or licensors)

Ishtartv.com- syriacpress.com

 08/09/2025

AL-QUSAYR, Syria – After violence that targeted Alawites in Syria’s coastal region and Druze in Suwayda, reports now suggest that Christians have become the latest victims of ethnic and religious cleansing.

Media outlets and social media accounts have circulated claims of a campaign of “systematic displacement and bloody intimidation” against Christians in the town of Al-Qusayr, south of Hmoth (Homs) near the Lebanese border. According to these reports, the General Security of the Syrian government have carried out mass arrests.

Sources indicated that at least nine young men and women were detained, while others listed the names of up to 35 individuals allegedly arrested without charge. The same sources reported a wave of Christian families fleeing across the border into Lebanon to escape kidnappings, looting, and the destruction of homes and shops. They believe the arrests and violence are part of a campaign designed to intimidate Christians and pressure them into abandoning their land.

In response, Syrian Interior Ministry spokesperson Noureddine al-Baba denied all reports of arrests targeting Christians in Al-Qusayr.

Writing on X, al-Baba accused “suspicious pages” of spreading falsehoods, alleging that General Security had detained Christians and carried out a displacement campaign. He said the names circulated online were verified and found not to be exclusively Christian, claiming instead that those individuals had been previously summoned for criminal cases, including murder, rape, and forgery of real estate records dating back to the former regime.

According to al-Baba, confessions were obtained during investigations conducted under the supervision of the civil judiciary and public prosecution. He urged citizens to avoid being misled by rumors, warning that false reports only serve to sow discord and undermine security.

Al-Qusayr is home to several historic churches, including the Greek (Rûm) Catholic Mar Elias Church, built in 1948 with stones taken from the ruins of a nearby cathedral dating back to the earliest years of Christianity.