Initial Summary

Location of Incident: Sheikh Nasser Asaad Shrine in the village of, Tal Abdul Aziz in the Hama Countryside
Date: 5 March 2025
Time: The night of 4 March 2025 or the dawn of 5 March 2025, Damascus local time
Victims: None
Type of incident: Bombing
Munitions used: Unidentified
Likely perpetrator: The Ansar al-Sunnah Brigade claimed responsibility for the incident.

Introduction

On 5 March 2025, the shrine of Sheikh Nasir Asaad, one of the shrines belonging to the Alawite sect in Syria, was destroyed reportedly by Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah.

About the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine

The village of Tal Abdul Aziz is located in the Salamiyah district east of the city of Hama. It is a majority Alawite village with a population of about 1,200, most of whom work in agriculture.

To the northeast of the village of Tal Abdulaziz, on a hill about 270 metres from the nearest building, lies the shrine of Sheikh Nasser Ibrahim Asaad.

Left: Photo from the Hamza S Suliman Facebook page showing the shrine of Sheikh Nasser Asaad in the village of Tal Abdulaziz before its destruction. Right: Photo from Hamza S Suliman's Facebook page showing the name of the shrine. Both photos were posted on 1 February 2025 before the attack. Both photos were captured by Syrian Archive on 18 October 2025.

Above: A photo from Hamza S Suliman's Facebook page showing the Sheikh Nasser al-Asaad shrine. Below are two screenshots from Google Earth Pro showing satellite imagery at coordinates 35.237236, 37.152666. Photos were annotated by Syrian Archive to indicate landmarks used in the geolocation.. Captured by Syrian Archive on 19 October 2025.

A screenshot from Google Earth Pro at coordinates 35.237236, 37.152666 showing the distance between the shrine of Sheikh Nasser al-Asaad and the nearest building in the village of Tal Abdulaziz. Captured by Syrian Archive on 19 October 2025

What happened and when?

Social media accounts claim that the shrine of Sheikh Nasser al-Asaad, in the village of Tal Abdul Aziz, was destroyed by a blast on 5 March 2025.

The first reports of the attack were posted by the Facebook page “light after every darkness,”‎ which posts news from Syria after the fall of the Assad government. In a post with photos, the page claimed that the shrine of Sheikh Nasser Asaad in the village of Tal Abdul Aziz in the eastern countryside of Salamiyah was bombed. The photos were posted at 12:05 local on 5 March 2025.

A screenshot of the Facebook page “light after every darkness” on the attack on the shrine. The screenshot includes the post’s timestamp. Captured by Syrian Archive on 19 October 2025.

About two hours later, the user Qalaat Al Mudiq on X posted photos and a post claiming that a "local shrine" in the village of Abdulaziz had been blown up, referring to the timing as "last night," suggesting that the bombing took place on the night of 4 March 2025 or the dawn of 5 March 2025. Because of a lack of imagery, Syrian Archive is unable to confirm when the attack occurred.

Additional reports followed with Rania Mohammad, Basam Jhami, Süveydiye tv, and Tartus Now on Facebook, the Syrian Coast Channel on Telegram. And Idlib Online, the Syrian Democratic Observatory, and the Syrian National Observatory for Human Rights on X. All additional posts reported news including photos of the destruction of the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine.

Previous attacks on the Sheikh Nasser al-Asaad shrine

Accounts on social media posted news and photos claimed that an attempt was made to burn down the shrine of Sheikh Nasser al-Asaad in the village of Tal Abdulaziz on 30 January 2025. Mortar shells placed inside car tyres were reportedly used and the fires were extinguished by village residents before it caused significant damage to the shrine. Some furniture in the shrine was reportedly burned.

A post showing damage to the Sheikh Nasser al-Asaad shrine after it was reportedly set on fire. Captured by Syrian Archive on 19 October 2025.

Damage to the shrine as a result of the attack

Pictures taken at the impact site after the attack reveal the damage to the Sheikh Nasser Asaad Shrine.

Above are two photos posted by Hamza S Suliman on Facebook showing the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine following the attack Below is a satellite image from Google Earth Pro of the shrine at the coordinates 35.237236, 37.152666. Captured by Syrian Archive on 19 October 2025.

Syrian Archive compared pictures of the shrine following the attack on 5 March 2025 with images from the reported attack 30 January 2025, as well as satellite images from Google Earth Pro. These pictures demonstrate that:

The entire building of the shrine was destroyed, including its dome and walls, while only the building’s structural columns remained. An electricity pole nearby the shrine was also damaged in the attack.

Above are two photos posted by Hamza S Suliman on Facebook showing the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine after it was bombed. Below is a photo posted by Hamza S Suliman on Facebook from before the attack, with annotations added by Syrian Archive to indicate the damage to the shrine’s dome (green circle), roof (orange box), walls (red box), electricity pole (yellow box), and concrete columns (blue box). Captured and annotated by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

The courtyard of the shrine, including its outer walls, was also destroyed.

Above is a photo posted by Hamza S Suliman on Facebook showing the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine following the attack. Below is a photo posted by Hamza S Sulimanwith annotations annotated by Syrian Archive to indicate the damage to the shrine's courtyard. Captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

The tomb located inside the shrine is absent from the shrine site .

Top right: photo posted by Safa Sa on Facebook. Centre right: Photo posted by Nermin Al-Hassan on Facebook, top left:Photo posted by Nermin Al-Hassan on Facebook showing the contents of the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine before the attack. Bottom: Photo posted by Hamza S Suliman on Facebook showing the absence of the shrine’s tomb and other contents following the attack. Captured and annotated by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

Potential perpetrators

Online posts by the “Light after every darkness” Facebook page, the user ‏‎ Rania Mohammad‎‏, and others claim that the bombing of the shrine was carried out by terrorist groups of unspecified affiliation.

Posts by Süveydiye tv, Serbest Ali on Facebook as well as Geo-strategic News and the Syrian National Observatory for Human Rights on X claim that individuals affiliated with Hayat Tahrir al-Sham were responsible for the bombing.

‏User Hamza S Suliman‎ on Facebook stated “unidentified gangs” destroyed the shrine on 5 March 2025, after setting it on fire on 30 January 2024.

Other Social media accounts and news agencies claim that Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah attempted to burn the shrine on 30 January 2025 and later destroyed it on 5 March. These reports are based on messages, between February and April 2025 in a Telegram channel reportedly belonging to Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah. Syrian Archive was unable to verify the authenticity of the posts as they were deleted from Telegram.

The messages allegedly from the group’s Telegram channel indicate the group’s involvement in destroying the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine and other religious sites. Screenshots of messages were shared on X and Facebook. They include messages allegedly from between 2 and 5 March where the group calls upon members to provide information “about the locations of graves and shrines” as well as a statement from the group on 5 March claiming responsibility for the attack on the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine.

A screenshot attributed to the Saraya Ansar al-Sunnahh channel on Telegram, posted by The Syrian National Observatory for Human Rights on X. Captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

A Screenshot allegedly of the the Saraya Ansar al-Sunnahh channel on Telegram, shared by the Syrian National Observatory for Human Rights X. Captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

Screenshot of the Telegram channel allegedly belonging to the Saraya Ansar al-Sunnahh channel on Telegram, shared by Facebook user Haydar Haydar. Captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

A screenshot of a statement allegedly shared on the Saraya Ansar al-Sunnahh channel on Telegram, publicly posted on the dima account on X. Captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

Image allegedly from the Saraya Ansar al-Sunnahh channel on Telegram, shared by the Syria Our Home channel on Telegram. Captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

Who is Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah?

Likely established in early 2025, Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah is a militant group established against the “prevailing corruption and excessive tolerance towards the Nusayris and Rafidis” and calls for expelling Alawites, Shiites, Druze, and Christians as well as the fighting Syrian Interim Government. In May 2025, Syria TV described the group as “small, informal,” and “in the process of formation.” In its founding statement, according to reports by BBC Arabic and Al Araby Al Jadeed, the group describes itself as a “decentralised network,” operating through “lone wolves.”

Image attributed to the Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah channel on Telegram, from the Qalaat al-Madiq account on Platform X, captured by Syrian Archive on 20 October 2025.

Reports vary on the size of the group. On Telegram, some claim the group uses small cells no larger than five to 15 individuals, while a report by the Shaf Centre for Future Studies and Analysis of Crisis and Conflicts describes the group as a collection of defectors from Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, Hurras al-Din, and other groups making up around 1,600 fighters. Reports from Shaf Centre for Future Studies and Analysis of Crisis and Conflicts, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, the Revolutionary Islam, BBC Arabic, Syria TV, and social media accounts list leaders of the group including Abu Aisha al-Shami the General Commander. The group most notably claimed responsibility for the June 2025 attack on the Saint Elias Church in Damascus.

Attacks on Alawite religious sites

Since the fall of the Assad government on 8 December 2024 until 31 August 2025, Syrian Archive has recorded 39 attacks on shrines in its dataset. 27 of these attacks were against Alawite shrines. The highest number of attacks on Alawite shrines (six total attacks) occurred in March 2025. Five attacks occurred in the months of December 2024, February 2025, and April 2025.

An infographic created by Syrian Archive shows the distribution of attacks on shrines by sect between 27 November 2024 and31 August 2025.

An infographic created by Syrian Archive shows the distribution of attacks on religious sites belonging to the Alawite sect, by month, between 27 November 2024 and 31 August 2025.

Conclusion

The shrine of Sheikh Nasser Asaad, one of the shrines belonging to the Alawite sect, was completely destroyed around 5 March 2025. This was one of six attacks on shrines in Syria in the same month. Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah reportedly claimed responsibility for the attack.

.css-68jq5d{padding-bottom:1.45rem;color:#ffffff;-webkit-transition:0.25s;transition:0.25s;}.css-68jq5d:hover{-webkit-text-decoration:underline;text-decoration:underline;}INVESTIGATIONS

Bombing of the Sheikh Nasser Asaad shrine in the village of Tal Abdul Aziz in the Hama countryside

Table Of Contents

INVESTIGATIONS