I just returned to Damascus after spending almost 4 days in the Syrian Christian cities of Al Skeilbiyyeh and Mhardeh. During my stay in Al Skeilbiyyeh, the city was attacked by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (formerly Nusra Front / Al Qaeda). Il 24 April, 16 Grad missiles launched by terrorists targeted civilian homes in the city, causing enormous material damage, but fortunately no martyrs or wounded.

The National Defense Forces (NDF) they responded vigorously and my photos show successful targeting of terrorist enclaves in Madiq Citadel – the tallest white building (a former grain factory and storage center) it is now occupied by a combination of the White Helmets and the Al Nusra Front, according to NDF soldiers.

Later the same night, the attacks have intensified considerably, the terrorist forces of the Al Nusra Front got closer than 200 meters from the city and we were asked to return to sheltered places. The firing of missiles by the NDF was a welcome sound, knowing the closeness of the Al Nusra Front to the civilians of this resolute and resilient city. An Al Nusra Front rocket exploded less than 10 meters from where I was, according to the soldiers (and the sound of the explosion). While the NDF intensified their defensive fire on terrorist positions, a dear friend, Wissam Sliman, sent me the following messages that he had managed to collect among the terrorist fighters: First terrorist: “I swear to God, feel as if the earth is cracking with each rocket that lands”. Second terrorist: “Bastards! They (NDF) they are shooting 4 o 5 projectiles simultaneously”.

The strategy determined by the NDF commander, Navel Alabdalla, was to target Al Nusra's approaches towards the city of Al Skeilbiyyeh, to repel the advancing terrorists and force them back to their lairs in Madiq's Citadel. The NDFs have been successful: after a few hours of exchanges of fire, it became clear that the cowardly terrorists had retreated, overwhelmed by the superior courage and intelligence of the NDF forces who have defended their city and their people for the past eight years. The terrorists were never able to enter Skeilbiyyeh during all this time.

The following morning, Russian Sukhoi jets could be heard overhead, and a number of areas occupied by terrorists in Hama and Idlib are still their target.

The following day was Good Friday and civilians poured into the streets of Al Skeilbiyyeh for the coffin procession of Jesus Christ. The church was packed, people standing in the aisles for the ceremony, despite the danger they had just faced. Faith in Nabel Alabdalla and his soldiers is something that is expressed by all citizens of this city, people feel safe because they know that they will be protected from any kind of evil that may threaten them, by these fearless courageous young men and women.

From the oldest citizen, il novantanovenne Abdullah Elias Farouh (photographed with Nabel Alabdalla), to the youngest, everyone gathered in the church, in the streets and then in the restaurants on this day of mourning for the death of Christ.

We spent some quality time in the Al Skeilbiyyeh countryside, among the now uncultivated wheat fields, the olive groves, the pistachios all stretching into the distance where mountains loom over verdant fields and sunny landscapes.

Horses grazing freely on the roadside in the strong spring sun. A moment of sublime nature amidst the chaos and disorder created by the West which has shattered the peace and simplicity of this ancient land and its people.

Nabel Alabdalla stopped on the side of the road to greet Umm Firdaus, dressed traditionally in the photos. Umm Firdaus expressed deep love and admiration for Nabel as they conversed: his face wrapped in smiles and joy.

The multicolored tapestry of which Syria is made is reflected in the cities of Skeilbiyyeh and Mhardeh: diversity, the unit, solidarity are expressed through word and action without hesitation. When I reported about the rocket that had targeted the home of Maha Asaad and his disabled daughter 25 years, Amal, the response was immediate, people started calling city officials and asking what they could do to help. The rocket had entered from the roof of the building into a room where Maha and her daughter and two other civilians were resting, miraculously no one was injured. In a city where community is so important, no one will be left without help or support. This is Syria.

In Mhardeh I interviewed the families of the most recent martyrs, killed during terrorist missile attacks: Yousef Habib Najjar at 42 years, father of two children, and the 22nd Majed Monif Qiddeeseh. I will post these interviews shortly. It was heartbreaking to share the pain and loss of these families, but the light of resistance still burned so brightly in their words, in their eyes and in their determination to remain in their land and in their refusal to allow grief to cause them to leave their homes. I felt deeply humbled by the steadfastness that these kind and generous people show through their tears and memories of a son or a father / Brother / husband that should never have been stolen from them.

Majed's grandmother told me that he was always laughing and joking, who would hug her every day and reassure her that he would keep her safe during terrorist attacks.

Yousef's brother, Dr. Noni, he is a neurosurgeon. When Yousef was injured by shrapnel from the missile that also took Majed's life, it was Dr. Noni who had to operate on his own brother. The splinter had entered Youssef's brain from the back of his head and despite all Doctor Noni's efforts to save his brother's life, he was unable to do so.

Sometimes I feel overwhelmed by the pain and suffering these heroic people must endure, but it is their resistance and dignity that should encourage us all to fight harder for them, to deny our governments the victory they are seeking – break the souls of these noble people with all the means at their disposal, military, cheap, psychological – … These people don't deserve this darkness, they deserve to be left to live in peace.

I just wanted to write these words tonight, because they are fresh in my mind and heart. I will add more very soon, but for now I leave you with these images of this beautiful region and its beautiful people. God bless them all, protect them and bring them victory against the terrorist plague that has been brought to them by the monsters in the West and their tyrant allies that are Turkey, the Gulf States and Israel.

Article by Vanessa Beeley (daughter of a British diplomat), GB translation. P. OraproSyria