Laith Wahid al-Balous, the son of a well-known spiritual leader in Sweida, survived an assassination attempt on Thursday in Shahba, in the Sweida countryside, when his car was targeted by gunfire. This scene recalls the bloody bombing that killed his father, Sheikh Wahid al-Balous, in 2015.
This new incident was not merely an isolated act; it is widely understood as part of a security and political context aimed at eliminating all those representing an independent project, including remnants of the former regime and its apparatuses.
Al-Balous previously survived an assassination attempt in 2023, when his car was targeted by gunfire in the town of Mazra'a in the western Sweida countryside, resulting in minor injuries.
The Assassination of the Sheikh... and the Fractured Official Narrative
Following the assassination of Sheikh Wahid al-Balous in a double bombing that targeted his convoy in the city of Sweida, authorities of the former regime were quick to announce the arrest of the perpetrator, expatriate Nayef Abu Taraba, and presented him as the main perpetrator of the crime that sparked unprecedented protests in the governorate.
But the regime's narrative did not hold up for long. Testimonies later leaked from defected officers and informed sources, confirming that Nayef Abu Taraba was merely a fabricated front to cover up the involvement of senior security branches in the assassination of Balaous, who posed a direct challenge to the authority's prestige and the militarization of society in Jabal al-Arab.
Elimination of Abu Taraba... Closing the Account with the Crime
According to sources previously published by Zaman al-Wasl, citing a defected officer, Nayef Abu Taraba was killed under torture in a military security prison in Damascus some time after his arrest was announced. He was not brought to trial, and his family was not allowed to see him or appoint a lawyer. Even his body was not handed over, in a scene reminiscent of the methods used to liquidate embarrassing security files inside intelligence cellars.
The goal of eliminating Abu Taraba was not to achieve justice, but rather to obscure the truth and prevent the uncovering of the true perpetrators of the assassination. The sheikh was at the height of his conflict with the state's security apparatus, opposed Iranian influence in the mountains, and opposed the practices of the National Defense Forces and the corruption of its leadership.
Laith's Assassination Attempt... A Continuation of the Path of Assassinations
Today, nearly a decade after the first crime, the hand of treachery has reached Laith al-Balous, the young man who carried on his father's legacy and discourse and remained a thorn in the side of those who sought to subjugate Sweida completely to the logic of militia weapons. Despite his survival, the message was clear: the Dignity Project remains a target, and the hidden hand that disappeared Wahid remains active despite the fall of Assad.
"Sheikhs of Dignity": Continuity Despite Targeting
Since the assassination of its founder, the "Sheikhs of Dignity" movement has been subjected to systematic campaigns of infiltration, distortion, and assassinations. However, it remains present in the consciousness of the people of Sweida, as a symbol of civil resistance, rejection of the militarization of society, and defense of human dignity.
The assassination attempt on Laith al-Balous today is not merely a security incident; it is a reminder that the Dignity Project remains a target, and that the justice delayed in the assassination of his father will not be forgotten, no matter how long it takes...
Zaman Al Wasl
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