A U.S. citizen was killed in Syria after videos surfaced showing him among a group of Druze men apparently being recently executed by Syrian government forces, the U.S. State Department confirmed on Tuesday, ABC News reported.
Family and friends confirmed to ABC News that one of the men executed in the videos filmed in Sweida's Tishreen Square on July 16 amid ongoing fighting at the time between Syrian Druze groups and Bedouin tribes was Hosam Saraya, an American citizen.
Saraya, 35, was visiting his family in Sweida in southern Syria from Oklahoma City, where he lived, NBC News reported.
"We offer condolences to the family on their loss and are providing consular assistance to them," the State Department said. "We are greatly concerned when any U.S. citizen is harmed overseas, wherever they are. The United States calls for accountability in all cases where U.S. citizens are harmed abroad."
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., and Sen. Markwayne Mullin, R-Okla., also confirmed the killing of Saraya, CNN reported.
The confirmation came after videos shared on social media last week showed eight men kneeling next to each other in civilian clothes with a group of soldiers filming, ABC News reported. In one video, the soldiers are seen talking to each other. Then, they suddenly opened fire, shooting the unarmed, kneeling men dozens of times at close range.
Besides Saraya, the family said his brother, their father, and their uncles and cousins were also shot to death in the incident.
Saraya was a graduate of Oklahoma Christian University and Damascus University and had founded a virtual school for Syrian children administered from Sweida, according to NBC News.
The Syrian government said over the weekend that clashes had come to a stop after a ceasefire deal was reached between the government, Druze groups, and Bedouin tribes, according to CNN.
Brian Freeman ✉
Brian Freeman, a Newsmax writer based in Israel, has more than three decades writing and editing about culture and politics for newspapers, online and television.
© 2025 Newsmax. All rights reserved.