The Syrian opposition’s largest military force, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham, carried out a surprise assault at Zara on Thursday, resulting in the withdrawal of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) from this predominately Alawi village in southern Hama.

With the Syrian Arab Army no longer present inside Zara on Thursday morning, Harakat Ahrar Al-Sham and their Al-Qaeda allies rounded up the remaining villagers and began to summarily execute unarmed civilians, including a large number of women and children.

The remaining civilians that were not executed by the Syrian opposition forces were kidnapped and transferred to Al-Rastan Plains.

According to an Al-Masdar correspondent in Damascus, the Syrian opposition forces executed and kidnapped approximately 120 people at Zara, making this massacre the deadliest attack against a civilian population in Syria this year.