A Christmas tree in a Greek Orthodox town in Hama countryside was set ablaze by foreign fighters affiliated with the Turkish-backed Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) jihadist organisation.
Only one day after a Christmas tree was lit in the Greek Orthodox town of Al-Suqaylabiyah in Syria, foreign fighters affiliated with HTS set it ablaze and harassed the Christian locals.
Greco-Levantines World Wide uploaded videos showing the jihadists terrorising Christians in the town originally settled by the Ancient Greeks as Seleucia-near-Belus (Σελεύκεια πρὸς Βήλῳ) shortly before setting the Christmas tree on fire.
Following the Christmas tree burning and intimidation, the local people protested just two days before Christmas.
"Marching through the village, they carry a large Cross to show the jihadists that they are Christians and not afraid, shouting ‘Enough is enough!'," Greco-Levantines World Wide reported.
The leader of HTS in the Hama countryside is attempting to reassure the people that steps will be taken to prevent such incidents in the future.
"However, we believe this will not happen. The foreign jihadists affiliated with HTS are uncontrollable and must be expelled from the Christian towns. It is crucial to push for the creation of autonomous Christian security forces to safeguard our community," Greco-Levantines World Wide reported.
It is recalled that the Hagia Sophia Greek Orthodox Church of Suqaylabiyahwas vandalised by Turkish-backed Islamist rebels on December 12.
Near the city of Hama, the Greek Orthodox church is a small replica of the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was constructed in 2020 following Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan's decision to convert the Hagia Sophia to a mosque.
The construction of the church was supported and funded by the regime of Bashar al-Assad and Russia but has now been desecrated by Islamist rebels backed by Turkey, who earlier this month took control over much of the country.
On the same day as the vandalism of the Hagia Sophia Church, two Greek Orthodox Christians, Samaan Satme and Helena Khashouf, were murdered in the village of al-Jamasliyye in Syria's Homs province.
Although the murder was initially reported as a burglary gone wrong, it later emerged that Samaan was beheaded and Helena shot, indicating that there were other motives.
Last week, the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of Hama in west-central Syria was targeted in an attack, with gunfire damaging its façade and crosses on nearby graves vandalised and removed.
Originally settled as the Ancient Greek town of Seleucia ad Belum, it was re-established in the 19th century, after being abandoned in the Middle Ages, by Greek Orthodox Christians who had emigrated from the Hauran region in southern Syria in the late 18th century to escape persecution by the Ottoman authorities.
READ MORE: Istanbul: Hellenic Air Force students detained for raising the Greek flag outside Hagia Sophia.