In a devastating escalation of violence in Syria, clashes over two days have resulted in over 1,000 fatalities, marking one of the bloodiest incidents since the Syrian conflict began 14 years ago. Reports from the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights indicate that over 745 civilians perished, primarily due to close-range shootings. The death toll also includes 125 members of government security forces and 148 militants associated with armed factions loyal to the ousted President Bashar Assad. Furthermore, large regions near Latakia have suffered power outages and water shortages following the conflicts.
The turmoil, which ignited on Thursday, represents a significant challenge to the new government in Damascus, emerging three months after rebel forces deposed Assad. The current government attributes the violence to retaliatory attacks from remaining Assad loyalists and denounces “individual actions” as the source of the unrest.
Revenge killings intensified the chaos, with Sunni Muslim gunmen, supportive of the new regime, targeting individuals from Assad’s minority Alawite community. This community had been a strong base for Assad for decades. Residents from Alawite areas recounted to reporters the atrocities, as gunmen executed Alawites, predominantly men, in their neighborhoods or at their homes’ thresholds. Subsequently, several homes were looted and set ablaze. Fearful of retaliation, many residents preferred anonymity while recounting their experiences. Thousands have sought refuge in nearby mountains to escape the violence.
Eyewitness accounts from Baniyas, one of the most affected towns, revealed a scene of horror with bodies abandoned in streets and homes, and gunmen preventing locals from moving the deceased. Ali Sheha, a resident who fled Baniyas, reported that 20 people from his neighborhood, where many Alawites resided, were killed. He described the attacks as retaliatory measures for the Alawite minority’s historical associations with Assad. Some locals identified foreign fighters among the assailants.
The Observatory has reported that the retaliatory violence ceased early Saturday. Rami Abdurrahman, head of the Observatory, labeled the recent killings of Alawite civilians as one of the conflict’s worst massacres. The group’s prior reports indicated a slightly lower death toll, with official counts yet to be issued.
In the town of Al-Janoudiya, a funeral was conducted for four members of Syrian security forces slain during the clashes. Meanwhile, Syria’s state news agency reported that government forces have largely regained control over previously conflict-ridden regions, closing off roads to stabilize the situation.
In the central village of Tuwaym, a mass burial was conducted for victims of preceding revenge attacks, including nine children and four women. Lebanese legislator Haidar Nasser indicated an exodus of individuals fleeing from Syria to Lebanon, seeking safety. He emphasized the peril facing Alawites, who were once pivotal in Assad’s administration.
The new government attributes recent attacks against its security forces to lingering Assad loyalists. In response, France expressed deep concerns over the violence, condemning atrocities committed on religious grounds and urging Syrian authorities to pursue independent investigations into the crimes.
The catalyst for the recent clashes seems to have been a government operation aimed at detaining a wanted individual near Jableh, which met with an ambush orchestrated by Assad supporters, according to the Observatory’s findings.
