The doctor, Mamoun Qasim al-Hariri, was killed in the town of Busra al-Harir in the eastern countryside of Daraa, with an explosive device detonated by unidentified persons, targeting him at the entrance to his clinic.
Enab Baladi‘s correspondent in Daraa reported that Dr. Mamoun died of his wounds immediately on Sunday, 19 January.
Al-Hariri’s death evoked the achievements and memories of his family during the years of the Syrian revolution.
According to the correspondent, al-Hariri was known for being a mild-mannered person and a doctor dedicated to his work. Al-Hariri worked within the opposition’s hospitals during years of its control over the area, and he got arrested in 2012.
Civilian actors in Daraa mourned the death of Doctor Mamoun al-Hariri, recalling what they described as the “sacrifices” of his brother, Doctor Hassan al-Hariri; Dr. Hassan was killed while aiding the injured in the battle of “Death Rather than Humiliation” in March 2017.
Doctor Hassan is the father of five children killed by Syrian regime airstrikes and artillery bombardment on the town of Busra al-Harir, in August 2014.
Speaking of Dr. Mamoun, the journalist Ibrahim al-Hariri told Enab Baladi on Monday, 20 January, that he is one of the figures that people of Daraa in general and people of Busra in particular highly admire.
Ibrahim al-Hariri added that Dr. Mamoun did not choose to leave Daraa in 2018 after the regime re-took control of it, because he believed that “leaving Daraa would give the mercenaries a chance to settle in it.” Therefore, Dr. Mamoun preferred to stay in Daraa and struggle as much as possible.
The journalist pointed out that the doctor worked in different places as he worked initially in the field, then he ran the field hospital in Busra al-Harir, then was appointed as Deputy Head of the Free Health Directorate in Daraa.
In a related context, a group calling itself the “rebels of Busra al-Harir” held the Syrian regime responsible for the killing of the doctor, stressing that it would respond to al-Hariri’s death soon.
The group called in a statement issued on Sunday, 19 January, to stand up to the regime’s attempts to liquidate the “men of the revolution.”
The statement also said that “a while ago, the criminal regime, through its agents in Busra al-Harir, killed Sheikh Musa and Commander of the Houran Brigade Muhammad Yunus, despite the settlement agreements.”
The statement added, “today, even though the people of Busra al-Harir exercised restraint and remained calm, the criminal regime returned once again to launch a series of criminal assaults. Today, the Syrian regime assassinated one of Busra al-Harir’s senior men, Dr. Mamoun Qasim al-Hariri, a man known for his revolutionary initial positions.”
The statement said, “therefore, we, the rebels of Busra al-Harir, are making it clear for everyone that the criminal regime has started its blatant acts of aggression against us, highlighting that these crimes will not go unpunished, without a strong response from us.”
The governorate of Daraa has seen continuous assassinations since the Syrian regime regained control of the governorate in July 2018, targeting former opposition elements, leaders and civilian figures, without claiming responsibility for those attacks from a specific party.