In newly emerged surveillance footage from the Sweida National Hospital, about 30 staff members and volunteers kneel before a group of armed men.
Suddenly, a man in scrubs, identified as Mohammad Bahsas, is pulled from the group. A soldier in military uniform, belonging to Syria’s Internal Security Forces, hits him on the head, then kicks him, while another soldier wrangles him to the ground.
A third soldier picks a rifle off the ground and shoots Mr Bahsas in the head at point-blank range, execution-style. Another shoots him again, this time with a pistol. Two soldiers then drag the lifeless body aside, leaving a thick streak of blood across the lobby.
The footage was recorded on July 16, when deadly sectarian clashes were raging in the Sweida province between armed tribesmen and government forces on one side, and Druze gunmen on the other. The hospital was not spared from the violence.
The footage of Mr Bahsas' killing was later disseminated by hospital staff and shared by news outlets in Sweida, among them Suweida 24.
The outlet called it “conclusive evidence” that members of the Ministry of Defence and Internal Security detained medical staff and “carried out a field execution” inside the hospital.
“The video, which was taken from surveillance cameras, provides further evidence of the involvement of transitional government forces in targeting medical staff and transforming Sweida National Hospital into a killing ground, field executions, and the liquidation of the wounded.”
Syria's Ministry of Interior has ordered an investigation "to expedite efforts aimed at identifying and apprehending the perpetrators at the earliest opportunity", it said.
"We condemn and denounce this act in the strongest terms, and we affirm that the perpetrators will be held accountable and brought to justice to receive their just punishment, regardless of their affiliations," it added.
It is one of numerous surveillance clips that have emerged after clashes at the Sweida National Hospital. Another video shows tanks approaching the hospital grounds. A third appears to show someone in government military fatigues herding a group of doctors down a hospital corridor as another man smashes the camera with a plank.
Although the violence, and Mr Bahsas's execution, occurred nearly a month ago, CCTV footage showing the events surrounding his death did not emerge until Sunday.
"Honestly, they [hospital staff] distributed the clips in a chaotic way," said Rayan Maarouf, a journalist for media outlet Suweida 24 told The National. "They only began to categorise them two days ago. Before that they were terrified they [government forces] would return. They were afraid to release the footage. But more videos will follow."
Fighting broke out at Sweida National Hospital on the evening of July 16, as the first short-lived ceasefire collapsed. Government forces stormed the hospital with tanks and armoured vehicles, according to Mr Maarouf.
Understanding the timeline of events that led to the violence in the hospital has been an issue for journalists living outside Sweida, who are forbidden by the government from entry into the province. Residents say doctors and injured patients were summarily killed by government forces as they stormed the hospital.
Mr Bahsas, a civil engineer by trade, became a first aid volunteer at the hospital during last month’s fierce sectarian violence between government troops and tribal militias on one side, and Druze gunmen on the other.
“They hit him on his head with the rifle,” Dr Omar Obeid, the president of the Sweida Medical Syndicate, told Al Arabiya, “and struck him with two bullets, killing him immediately”.
“He was wearing blue scrubs to help his people. The young man had come to help.”
Hospital staff said they were treating injured civilians and fighters from both sides when the assault began.
The mid-July clashes in the Druze-majority province of Sweida left at least 1,013 people dead, according to the Syrian Network for Human Rights.
Since hostilities between armed tribesmen and Druze militias broke out on July 13, Sweida has been under a government lockdown. The province relies on intermittent aid and suffers from limited electricity and dwindling supplies.
Several Druze residents of the province who spoke to The National say government troops, who were deployed in an attempt to quell sectarian fighting between armed tribesmen and Druze militiamen, joined Bedouin troops in conducting summary executions of civilians and fighters alike.
The violence in Sweida has further alienated Syria’s Druze population from the central government, which continues to seek full control over the province.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates that about 1,500 people have been killed on both sides, including more than 160 civilians, and the UN estimates that more than 190,000 people were displaced by last month’s fighting.
The violence has called into question the ability of the new regime to unite the country, with many Druze in Sweida expressing outrage at the authorities.
“We’ve been semi-autonomous since 2018 when Bashar Al Assad’s regime was in power,” said Kinaan Al Chacha, a volunteer aid worker in the province. “And we’ll stay that way after what happened last month, because now we know this government will never protect us.”
The Florida Project
Director: Sean Baker
Starring: Bria Vinaite, Brooklynn Prince, Willem Dafoe
Four stars
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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LUKA CHUPPI
Director: Laxman Utekar
Producer: Maddock Films, Jio Cinema
Cast: Kartik Aaryan, Kriti Sanon, Pankaj Tripathi, Vinay Pathak, Aparshakti Khurana
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
6pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 1 (PA) $55,000 (Dirt) 1,900m
Winner: Rajeh, Antonio Fresu (jockey), Musabah Al Muhairi (trainer)
6.35pm: Oud Metha Stakes – Rated Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,200m
Winner: Get Back Goldie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
7.10pm: Jumeirah Classic – Listed (TB) $150,000 (Turf) 1,600m
Winner: Sovereign Prince, James Doyle, Charlie Appleby
7.45pm: Firebreak Stakes – Group 3 (TB) $150,000 (D) 1,600m
Winner: Hypothetical, Mickael Barzalona, Salem bin Ghadayer
8.20pm: Al Maktoum Challenge Round-2 – Group 2 (TB) $350,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Hot Rod Charlie, William Buick, Doug O’Neill
8.55pm: Al Bastakiya Trial – Conditions (TB) $60,000 (D) 1,900m
Winner: Withering, Adrie de Vries, Fawzi Nass
9.30pm: Balanchine – Group 2 (TB) $180,000 (T) 1,800m
Winner: Creative Flair, William Buick, Charlie Appleby
The specs
Price, base: Dh228,000 / Dh232,000 (est)
Engine: 5.7-litre Hemi V8
Transmission: Eight-speed automatic
Power: 395hp @ 5,600rpm
Torque: 552Nm
Fuel economy, combined: 12.5L / 100km
Disclaimer
Director: Alfonso Cuaron
Stars: Cate Blanchett, Kevin Kline, Lesley Manville
Rating: 4/5
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
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Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The bio
Date of Birth: April 25, 1993
Place of Birth: Dubai, UAE
Marital Status: Single
School: Al Sufouh in Jumeirah, Dubai
University: Emirates Airline National Cadet Programme and Hamdan University
Job Title: Pilot, First Officer
Number of hours flying in a Boeing 777: 1,200
Number of flights: Approximately 300
Hobbies: Exercising
Nicest destination: Milan, New Zealand, Seattle for shopping
Least nice destination: Kabul, but someone has to do it. It’s not scary but at least you can tick the box that you’ve been
Favourite place to visit: Dubai, there’s no place like home
Ipaf in numbers
Established: 2008
Prize money: $50,000 (Dh183,650) for winners and $10,000 for those on the shortlist.
Winning novels: 13
Shortlisted novels: 66
Longlisted novels: 111
Total number of novels submitted: 1,780
Novels translated internationally: 66
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
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The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cylturbo
Transmission: seven-speed DSG automatic
Power: 242bhp
Torque: 370Nm
Price: Dh136,814
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
Engine: naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12
Power: 819hp
Torque: 678Nm at 7,250rpm
Price: From Dh1,700,000
Available: Now
hall of shame
SUNDERLAND 2002-03
No one has ended a Premier League season quite like Sunderland. They lost each of their final 15 games, taking no points after January. They ended up with 19 in total, sacking managers Peter Reid and Howard Wilkinson and losing 3-1 to Charlton when they scored three own goals in eight minutes.
SUNDERLAND 2005-06
Until Derby came along, Sunderland’s total of 15 points was the Premier League’s record low. They made it until May and their final home game before winning at the Stadium of Light while they lost a joint record 29 of their 38 league games.
HUDDERSFIELD 2018-19
Joined Derby as the only team to be relegated in March. No striker scored until January, while only two players got more assists than goalkeeper Jonas Lossl. The mid-season appointment Jan Siewert was to end his time as Huddersfield manager with a 5.3 per cent win rate.
ASTON VILLA 2015-16
Perhaps the most inexplicably bad season, considering they signed Idrissa Gueye and Adama Traore and still only got 17 points. Villa won their first league game, but none of the next 19. They ended an abominable campaign by taking one point from the last 39 available.
FULHAM 2018-19
Terrible in different ways. Fulham’s total of 26 points is not among the lowest ever but they contrived to get relegated after spending over £100 million (Dh457m) in the transfer market. Much of it went on defenders but they only kept two clean sheets in their first 33 games.
LA LIGA: Sporting Gijon, 13 points in 1997-98.
BUNDESLIGA: Tasmania Berlin, 10 points in 1965-66
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
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