Bayda and Baniyas massacres

Bayda and Baniyas massacres
Part of the Syrian civil war
Bayda Baniyas
Location	Bayda and Baniyas, Tartus Governorate, Syria
Date	2–3 May 2013
Attack type	Shootout/Massacre
Deaths	51–100 or 150-250 (Bayda), 77–145 or 150-200 (Baniyas), up to 450 in total At least 13 SAA/NDF/Shabiha members
Perpetrators	Syrian Army National Defense Force Shabiha[1]

The Bayda and Baniyas massacres were two widely reported massacres that occurred in May 2013 in the village of Bayda and the city of Baniyas, in Tartus Governorate, Syria, where Syrian Army troops, supported by paramilitaries, killed civilians in the predominantly Sunni locales. The killings were supposedly in retaliation for an earlier rebel attack near the town that left at least half a dozen soldiers dead.^[2]

There were reports of whole families being killed in the two massacres 2–3 May, and thousands were attempting to flee the area.^[3] At least 100 people were killed, while others say that number exceeds 400.^[4] Human Rights Watch put the number of dead at 248^[5] in mass summary executions.^[6] According to a UN report, between 300 and 450 people were killed (150-250 respectively 150–200).^[7] Survivors have testified that it was regular troops, backed by the paramilitary National Defence Force (NDF), that entered the village and began "a murderous attack: burning, looting and killing".^[1]