Photographs released by the state-run Syrian Arab News Agency reveal a grim scene inside the mosque: bloodstains on the carpets, walls pockmarked with holes, shattered windows, and extensive fire damage.
The Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque lies in Homs, Syria’s third-largest city, situated in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighborhood, which is predominantly occupied by the Alawite minority.
On Monday, sporadic clashes broke out between Syrian government troops and Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces in Aleppo’s mixed neighborhoods. The violence led to temporary school closures and shuttering of public services, forcing civilians to seek refuge indoors.
By late evening, both factions agreed to a ceasefire as part of efforts to reduce tensions.
However, hostilities reignited on Friday between government security and Kurdish forces in Aleppo, with each side accusing the other of instigating the conflict.
Col. Mohammad Abdul Ghani, head of internal security in Aleppo province, claimed in a statement that SDF snipers fired upon a Ministry of Interior checkpoint, injuring an officer. Security forces then retaliated.
The SDF in a statement said that “factions affiliated with the Damascus government” targeted a checkpoint manned by Kurdish forces with rocket-propelled grenades and they returned fire.
