A United States citizen from Oklahoma was among eight men, all relatives, killed in an execution-style massacre that erupted during a recent outbreak of sectarian violence in Syria.
Hosam Saraya, a 35-year-old Syrian-American, was identified by a friend and a relative in the U.S. as one of the victims in a widely circulated video showing the killings.
The footage, verified by CNN through geolocation, captures armed individuals in military attire and masks shooting the eight captives while shouting “God is great.”
While the identities of the attackers has not confirmed, a family friend claimed the gunmen were affiliated with Syrian government forces. A school established by Saraya in Suwayda echoed this belief, attributing the killings to government-linked militants.
According to Saraya’s U.S.-based relative, who withheld her identity for safety reasons, his brother Kareem and several other male relatives were also among those executed.
She said she had spoken directly with family members in Syria who confirmed that only the women and children survived the raid.
The massacre occurred on July 17 during fierce fighting between Druze groups and Bedouin tribes in the Druze-majority Suwayda province in southern Syria.
Saraya, a member of the Druze religious minority, had returned to Syria from the U.S., where he had studied in Oklahoma, to care for his ailing father.
The surviving female relatives described how the attackers broke into the family’s multi-story residence at dawn.
The men resisted at first, but after one was wounded, they laid down their weapons and were taken away, the U.S. relative said.
A family friend, who also spoke with CNN, confirmed this account, saying he witnessed the armed men forcefully remove eight male family members while sparing the women.
“Pray for us”
The U.S. relative first learned of the incident through a harrowing message from one of the surviving women: “Pray for us, they kidnapped the boys, they shot the house, they stole stuff.”
For 12 agonizing hours, the family hoped for the captives’ safe return. Their worst fears were confirmed when a relative overseas came across the video of the executions.
According to the friend who spoke to CNN, the captives were marched approximately 200 meters to Tishreen Square and shot. One of the men reportedly sent a last message before his death: “Come and help us if you can. They surrounded us,” he said.
The same friend later identified Saraya’s body in the footage.
“I don’t know how monsters can do that,” the U.S. relative said in an interview with newsmen.
The U.S. State Department, responding to CNN’s inquiry, confirmed that an American citizen had died in Suwayda, without providing further details.
“We are greatly concerned when any US citizen is harmed overseas, wherever they are,” the department said. It also called “for accountability in all cases where US citizens are harmed abroad.”
Reaction from U.S. Lawmakers
Senators James Lankford and Markwayne Mullin of Oklahoma both acknowledged the killing on social media.
“Hosam was an Oklahoman and member of the Druze community who was tragically executed alongside other members of his family in Syria,” Lankford posted on X. “We are praying for his family, friends, and the entire community as they grieve this senseless loss.”
Mullin also wrote on X, “An American citizen from Oklahoma was brutally executed alongside his family members in Syria,” adding that he was working with regional partners to gather more information. He did not mention the Saraya family by name.
Violence between Druze factions and Bedouin tribes ignited on July 13, killing hundreds and marking one of the bloodiest sectarian flare-ups since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime to a coalition of Islamist rebels.
The fighting prompted an Israeli military response in support of the Druze community and drew condemnation from the United States. International efforts quickly mobilized to de-escalate the situation.
The Syrian government announced over the weekend that a ceasefire had been brokered among government forces, Druze fighters, and Bedouin tribal leaders in Suwayda.
A separate truce between Syria and Israel was also confirmed. U.S. Ambassador to Turkey, Tom Barrack, stated that the agreement had the support of Turkey, Jordan, and other regional stakeholders.
