By Daphne Psaledakis and Gram Slattery
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. State Department has called for an immediate investigation into the recent death of a U.S. citizen in Syria, and there have been direct discussions with the Syrian government about the issue, deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott said on Thursday.
U.S. citizen Hosam Saraya died last week in the predominantly Druze region of Sweida, the State Department previously confirmed, amid ongoing sectarian clashes there.
ABC News last week cited videos shared on social media that showed eight men kneeling in civilian clothes before being executed by gunfire by a group of soldiers. One of the victims was apparently Saraya.
“What I can say is we have had direct discussions with the Syrian government on this issue, and have called for an immediate investigation into the matter,” Pigott told reporters during a press briefing.
“Hosam and his family deserve justice, and those responsible for this atrocity must be held accountable.”
Saraya’s death comes at a complex time for the Syrian government, which rose to power after long-time dictator Bashar al-Assad was deposed last year.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa is struggling to keep together a country beset by sectarian rifts, and he faces suspicion among some Western leaders due to his past membership in violent terrorist organizations. Israeli forces have pressed deep into the country’s southwest.
The fighting in Sweida has pitted the Druze, who distrust the new government in Damascus, against Sunni Muslim Bedouin.
In May, U.S. President Donald Trump announced that he would lift sanctions on Syria in a bid to integrate the new government into the international community. In late June, he officially signed an executive order terminating U.S. sanctions.
(Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis; Writing by Gram Slattery; Editing by Chris Reese and Franklin Paul)
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