Qalb Lawzah Massacre

On June 11, news emerged of a massacre by Jabhat al-Nusra's forces against rebelling locals in the Druze village of Qalb Lawzah. First reports are saying "dozens," 20 or 30 civilians were killed after the al-Qaeda affiliate moved to put down an apparent insurrection against their rule.

Location: Qalb Lawzah (Arabic: قلب لوزة‎ ) is a historically Druze village in Northern Idlib province (Wikipedia, Qalb Loze) Qalb Lawzah on Wikimapia - SE of Harem at the Turkish border, 20 km south of Reyhanli.

Sources:
 * Zaid Benjamin on Twitter "Jabhat al-Nusra summarily executed 30 Durzi (Druze) men in Qaleb Lawze town in #Idlib. The 2nd sectarian massacre in the province after Eshtabraq." (see Ishtabraq Massacre)


 * A village in al- Sammaq Mountain witnesses tension; the activists accuse a commander in Jabhat al- Nusra and his members of killing dozens of civilians in that village SOHR, June 11, 2015
 * Idlib Province: Reliable sources informed SOHR activists that the village of Qalb Loza in al- Sammaq Mountain are witnessing tension since yesterday afternoon on the backdrop of altercations erupted between a commander in Jabhat al- Nusra and his members on one side and the people of the village on the other, amid contradicting information about the reason of this dispute. The altercations developed into shooting in the village. Information reported that dozens of civilians killed in the village where the activists accused the commander and his members of opening fire and killing dozens of civilians.


 * 20 civilians killed in Qalb al-Loza village which is inhabited by Druze SOHR June 11, 2015
 * ''SOHR documented the death of 20 civilians from Qalb al-Loza village which is inhabited by Druze in al-Lesmaq mount in Idlib countryside, came in the details that an argument took place between a Tunisian leader in Jabhat al-Nusra and civilians from the village after seizing a house belongs to a soldier in regime forces by Jabhat al-Nusra, what made Jabhat al-Nusra militant open fire and kill a person from the village, the crowed were able to pull the person’s gun and open fire on Jabhat al-Nusra what killed a militant in Jabhat al-Nusra which called for reinforcements to take over the village after that Jabhat al-Nusra opened heavy machine fun fire on the civilians leading to the death of 20 including a child at least and elderly.


 * Nusra Front fighters kill 20 Druze in Syrian village: monitor group Reuters, June 11. This cites SOHR about as above and adds:
 * An account of the incident attributed to a Nusra Front fighter and published on a Twitter account used by the group's supporters laid the blame with the villager who had refused to relinquish the house to someone described as "in need". It did not give a casualty toll.


 * Syria's state-run news agency SANA described it as a massacre.


 * Lebanese Druze leader Walid Jumblatt had made contact with Syrian opposition factions and "influential regional forces" that had yielded a "joint effort" to guarantee the safety of villages in the northwest that had "stood by the revolution", according to al-Anbaa online, a news publication published by Jumblatt's Progressive Socialist Party. "The problem" had been contained, it said. 

Perhaps Jumblatt is unaware the problem reportedly began with a home seizure against locals who did not "stand by the revolution," and apparent relatives who resisted their forced eviction or - perhaps - their attempted murder. The victims seemingly didn't live long enough to provide their own side of the story like the perpetrators had a chance to do.

"Sophia" tweeted this allegation June 11 "Just two days ago, Lebanese #Druze leader Walid Jumblatt, enemy of Assad, invited his Syrian co-religionists to embrace #Nusra." That would be the same group who may have just committed the Ishtabraq Massacre of other non-Sunni Syrians, Alawi, and as the Reuters reported noted:
 * In an interview with Al Jazeera news channel last month, the leader of the Nusra Front urged members of the Alawite sect, another minority, to change their beliefs and to renounce President Bashar al-Assad, a fellow Alawite, if they wanted to remain safe.