Zara'a attack

On 12 May 2016, rebel militants of the al-Qaeda-linked al-Nusra Front and Ahrar ash-Sham attacked and captured the Alawite village of Zara'a, Southern Hama Governorate.

The attack

An early morning surprise attack on Zara'a defeated a National Defence Forces unit stationed there, and allowed the rebels to enter the predominantly Alawite village. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, eight pro-government militiamen were killed and several villagers were kidnapped, while the Local Coordination Committees of Syria claimed that 30 pro-government militiamen were killed. More clashes continued into the afternoon with the Syrian and Russian Air Forces conducting airstrikes on rebel positions. This rebel attack was a part of an assault in "revenge for Aleppo."

According to the pro-government outlet Al-Masdar News, the kidnapped civilians were taken to the al-Rastan plains. Some of the captured were pro-government troops. On 24 May 2016, the Syrian Red Crescent convinced the militants to hand over civilians and NDF bodies. They were transported by the Syrian Army to the Homs Military Hospital for identification the next day.

The Syrian Foreign Ministry also sent two letters where they called on the UN Secretary-General and the UN Security Council to condemn the massacre.