This is the second part of a series. Read the first part here.
SUWAYDA (North Press) – The emergence of al-Bal’ous in Suwayda acquired a unique character throughout Syria, especially since the governorate appeared outside the control of the Damascus government after him, despite the fact that all the state institutions remain at the helm of their work.
However, the security services felt paralyzed as a result of the growing popularity of the Men of Dignity movement, so that the state services can no longer “break into a house or detain a wanted person for any reason whatsoever,” according to informed sources in Suwayda.
Sources elaborated, stating that neither Iranian forces nor Hezbollah were able to penetrate the society, nor were they able to “import drugs which Hezbollah was working on moving through Suwayda towards Jordan and the Arab Gulf states.”
The matter increased resentment of Sheikh Wahid al-Bal’ous and all members and leaders of the Men of Dignity, until “he was deliberately assassinated along with a number of his comrades.”
Assassinations and blood
On Friday afternoon, September 4, 2015, the convoy of al-Bal’ous headed to Sali town in the eastern countryside of the governorate as part of an inspectorial visit to the leader of the Druze al-Bayraq group.
In the Ain al-Marj region on the road to Dahr al-Jabal, a white-colored pickup was waiting for him, parked on the right side. When the Sheikh’s convoy arrived, it exploded, killing al-Bal’ous and three others who were accompanying him, and wounding several others.
Residents of the area said that the explosion was heard from several kilometers away. The explosion caused a hole three meters wide in the road, while the car was almost completely melted.
The convoy also came under heavy gunfire by a group positioned near the site of the explosion in order to ensure that the assassination had been carried out and to kill a large number of al-Bal’ous’ bodyguards.
Ra’fat al-Bal’ous, Wahid al-Balous’ brother, sustained wounds to his neck; his two sons Fahd and Laith were also wounded.
As the wounded were brought to the hospital and locals and members of the Men of Dignity began to gather, several IEDs exploded in front of the National Hospital in Suwayda city, killing dozens.
Amid these incidents, voices of the protestors rose up, denouncing the military intelligence services and holding them responsible for the blasts.
Four days after the blasts, the bodies of the Sheikh and other victims were buried.
Tearing down the regime
Syrian government intelligence was blamed for the assassination, and those familiar with details of that phase believe that the elimination of the movement and its founder Wahid al-Bal’ous was a priority.
Groups tied to al-Bal’ous’ movement attacked the security headquarters and opened fire, but the Syrian government was ready for such a step and had evacuated the headquarters before the attacks.
The movement’s militants also attacked the governorate’s building in the city center of Suwayda, but it was also evacuated.
Another armed group headed to the Assad Square in the city, where the statue of former president Hafez Assad stood. Members of the group pulled down the statue and threw it near a dumpster in the vicinity of the city, in addition to changing the name of the square to Dignity Square.
Fabricating the crime
Most of Suwayda’s residents could not sleep after the assassination, as “the crime was so painful.”
The next morning, there was a high state of alert by local groups, amid full absence of government institutions and intelligence services.
Security services announced that day “the reveal of the secrets of the terrorist act, and the arrest of the perpetrators.”
However, the state of resentment among the residents was so intense that “the people of the Druze community entered a state of alert in all parts of the country, and they received contacts from the Druze of Lebanon and Palestine, who expressed their anger over the explosions.”
Therefore, the intelligence had to find “a scapegoat to exonerate itself from the crime.”
An individual named Wafed Abu Turaba emerged on official state TV, accused of joining the Free Syrian Army, and it was said that he travelled to Jordan and then to Turkey.
Abu Turaba acknowledged planning and carrying out the two “terrorist bombings.”
He said he coordinated with the Syrian opposition abroad to eliminate al-Bal’ous and his movement, with the aim of “controlling Suwayda governorate after expelling the regime.”
However, the residents of Suwayda received the acknowledgements “sarcastically, as they did not convince anyone.” However, they did decide to stand down and not confront the regime, as they knew that the result of such a confrontation would be “barrel bombs that the regime was always threatening.”
The decision to stand down was made on the grounds that the Men of Dignity received “a painful blow, especially since most of the movement’s leaders were targeted during the two bombings, in addition to Ra’fat al-Bal’ous, who was seriously wounded.”
Family in dock
As the regime and its intelligence planned to eliminate the Suwayda-based movement, unknown individuals kidnapped Shebli Jenoud, Secretary of the Ba’ath Party’s Suwayda branch.
The kidnapping was carried out 20 days after the blasts, and the family and supporters of al-Bal’ous were immediately blamed, especially as Jenoud was working as a mediator between the intelligence and al-Bal’ous’ movement.
Jenoud did not enjoy a good reputation, so the regime exploited the matter and kidnapped him in front of his daughter’s house south of the city, according to locals.
The security intelligence published news that Shebli Jenoud was present within the town of al-Mazra’a, where the family of al-Bal’ous lived.
The regime then, exploited the presence of a group called Luna, led by Kamal Jenoud, which was considered a pro-government group. Kamal Jenoud sent the group to al-Mazra’a town to look for Shebli, and the “regime’s goal of sending the group was to clash with the Men of Dignity in the town.”
In other words, it was an attempt to spark discord within the social fabric of the Druze, but its attempts failed.
Members of al-Bal’ous’ family did not confront Luna, so as “to prevent discord and infighting, so they left the town disappointed.”
Witness did not see anything
The regime’s insistence on sparking discord and proving that the kidnapping of the Ba’ath leader was carried out by the Men of Dignity led the security intelligence to arrest Dr. Atef Malak in front of his clinic, and they “forced him to acknowledge that he saw Shebli Jeboud, who was suffering from severe illness.”
The intelligence alleged that it obtained records of a phone call between Dr. Malak and Sheikh Ra’fat al-Bal’ous.
In another phone call, according to the intelligence allegations, Dr. Malak said to al-Bal’ous that “the patient is in a critical state and must be transferred to the ICU, as he was in a coma.”
After the doctor’s arrest, “he was forced to acknowledge that he saw Shebli Jenoud in the house of al-Bal’ous, so that the issue became a criminal justice issue and al-Bal’ous became wanted by the Criminal Court.”
The doctor was imprisoned for more than a year, left sick and unable to speak after release. He passed away from cancer he suffered during his period of detention.
Al-Bal’ous is still wanted, although the family of Shebli Jenoud refused private prosecution due to absence of evidence.
The family of Jenoud demanded the government bring Shebli back dead or alive, but this issue has not been solved so far.
Men of Dignity and healing
Two months after the incident, the Men of Dignity announced, in front of a large crowd in Mazra’a town, the crowning of Sheikh Ra’fat al-Bal’ous as the leader of the Men of Dignity Movement.
However, the movement did not do anything but heal the wounds and demand vengeance for the “martyrs and the founder of the Movement, Sheikh Wahid al-Bal’ous.”
Sheikh Ra’fat refused to take any action against the state’s institutions in order “to block the way for any action against it, especially with the absence of any internal and external support for the Movement,” according to those close to the Sheikh.
With the deterioration of Sheikh Ra’fat’s health due to his injury in the explosion at Dahr al-Jabal, he decided to step down and hand the leadership of the Movement to Sheikh Abu Hassan Yahya al-Hajjar, one of the founders of the Movement along with al-Bal’ous and one of the prominent leaders of the Movement, beginning a new phase.