At the height of the July 2025 events in As-Suwayda, the song "Mzayyni Shawari'aha" (Adorning Its Streets) by artist Aya Mehanna was not just a musical work; it was a story of pain that Aya lived in every detail, and the pain of people for whom news of the missing and victims was present in every moment of their lives.
Aya says that the massacre left an impact on her that changed her perspective on life, to the point that she began describing herself as Aya before the massacre and Aya after it. Between her communication with families searching for their loved ones, and attempts to find the missing,
Among these families was a family from Lahitha, consisting of Aunt Mila Jaafar, her husband Thaleej Othman, and their son Shadi.
For a period, they were searching for them in the lists of the missing and detainees, hoping to find any news that would reassure their families, until some young men were able to infiltrate the village and film a video that revealed their fate, confirming that they had been martyred.
And from the pain and shock that Aya lived through after the hope that they were alive, this was the moment that triggered the first words of the song, and created the phrase that became the title of her pain:
"And adorning its streets with the blood of those who protected them, and their coffins shall not be buried until they liberate them."
Lyrics born from a real scene that shook her from within, and from a sense of responsibility toward the victims and their right to a dignified burial, and toward families still living the pain of loss and waiting.
The song became more than just a melody and lyrics; it became a testament to a harsh phase, an attempt to preserve memory, and a reminder that rights do not lapse with time, and that there is pain that does not fade just because time has passed.
