SUQAYLABIYAH — Scores of men on motorcycles from the nearby Sunni town of Qalaat al-Madiq attacked Christian homes, shops and cars in Suqaylabiyah, a predominantly Christian town in Hama province. The attacks lasted until the early hours of Saturday after an argument between two men in Suqaylabiyah led to the sectarian violence.

Government forces brought reinforcements into Suqaylabiyah and calmed the violence. No information on casualties was available immediately after the attacks.

Liyan Dweir, a clothes shop owner whose shop was riddled with bullets and suffered heavy damage, said his children were terrified during the hourslong assault. "We passed through a state of terror, fear, and panic." Dweir said. "It is unfair that because of an argument two towns clashed."

Young men broke the gate of Nafeh al-Nader's house, according to al-Nader. The attackers kicked a diesel heater and set a room on fire in al-Nader's house, according to al-Nader. The attackers tried to set another room on fire but were unsuccessful after a neighbor rushed to help, according to al-Nader. One of the attackers hit the neighbor with a stick, according to al-Nader.

Hundreds of residents marched through the streets Saturday, demanded accountability, and declared a strike until the perpetrators are punished. During Syria's conflict, Suqaylabiyah was held by forces loyal to Bashar Assad while Qalaat al-Madiq was held by insurgent groups.

Since December 2024, members of Syria's Alawite, Druze, and Christian minorities have been subjected to attacks by gunmen loyal to the country's new Islamist rulers. In March 2025, gunmen loyal to Syria's new Islamist rulers killed Alawites in Syria's coastal region. In July 2025, gunmen loyal to Syria's new Islamist rulers killed Druze in the southern province of Sweida.

Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa's government has condemned attacks on minorities. In June, a suicide bombing inside a church outside Damascus killed 25 people and wounded dozens.

The conflict in Syria began in 2011 and has killed half a million people. Many members of Syria's Christian minority have left the country since the conflict began in 2011. Christians made up about 10% of Syria's prewar population of 23 million.