Violence, centered on Syrian coastal regions, is primarily targeting Alawis, Christians and other minority communities, GB News reported, explaining tensions escalated after gunmen loyal to Assad ambushed security patrols of security guards near Latakia. This sparked a serious response from the military in connection with Syria’s Islamic-led interim government.
The Syrian Human Rights Observatory reported that 745 deaths were civilians, many of whom were killed in gunfire. Hundreds of other people were members of security forces or extremists.
Witnesses cited in the media and local monitors described the unfolding event as a “sectarian massacre.”
Sohr’s director Rami Abdulrahman said the violence aims to expel Alawite’s family from its home, with many homes aimed at being plundered and burned in the cities of Jableh and Baniyas. Alawis was closely linked to the Assad regime.
Videos and reports from the area depict miserable scenes of a massive tomb, tied bodies and a devastated village. In one example, 69 Alawian civilians reportedly ran during a security sweep.
Thousands of Alawites and Christians flee their homes, while hundreds are seeking evacuation at the Russian military base in Khmeimim, Latakia.
Christian communities had already declined during Syria’s decade-long civil war. Christians are seen by Muslim factions as obstacles to the establishment of Muslim-led governments, politically and ideologically with previous regimes. Reports suggest that Christians are also targeted for violence, but it is unclear how many Christians were killed.
The patriarchs of Greek Orthodox, Syrian Orthodox Church and Melkite of the Greek Catholic Church have issued a joint statement condemning violence.
“The house was violated, its sanctity was ignored, and its property was plundered. A scene that completely reflects the immeasurable suffering that the Syrian people endured,” reads the joint statement. “The Christian Church calls for an immediate end to these horrifying acts opposed to all human and moral values, while threatening the peace of its citizens and denounces and slamming the massacres targeting innocent civilians.”
“The Church also calls for the rapid creation of conditions that will help achieve national reconciliation among the Syrian people,” he added. “They are free from the logic of revenge and exclusion, urging efforts to establish an environment that will respect all citizens and encourage the transition to a nation that lays the foundations of society based on equal citizenship and true partnership.”
Martin Parsons, CEO of the Lindisfarne Centre for Christian Persecution Studies, told Prime Minister Christian News that the coastal area is “Assad Heartland,” with an Alawian presence, but Christians also lived there.
“We were fighting between government fighters and this rebellion, which was run away by former brigadier generals of Assad’s army and numerous Alawites and Christians,” Parson said. “We also know that there have been targeted attacks against civilians.”
“The Greek Orthodox patriarch in Damascus said in a sermon on Saturday that some of the people killed include Christians, which is the most detailed we actually have at this point,” he added. “All we know is that Christians seem to have been killed. I don’t know why they were killed. Did they get caught up in that? They were Assad’s loyalists so they were killed?
Sheikh Hikumat al-Hajiri, the spiritual leader of the Druze, warned that if sectarian violence is not addressed, all Syria will be involved.
Rights groups, including the Syrian Human Rights Network, have documented massive executions, looted property and systematic killings.
Interim President Ahmed Al-Shara, former leader of Muslim groups, Hayat Taharir Al-Sham, also known as Jorani, condemned violence and called for accountability.
In a speech that aired, he urged security forces to be detained and said that moral values must be maintained in the face of conflict. Sharaa reportedly established a committee to investigate the murders, and has pledged to punish those responsible for hurting civilians or violating human rights.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has condemned “radical Muslim terrorists” and expressed solidarity with Syrian religious and ethnic minorities. He urged the interim government to protect minorities and civilians.
Meanwhile, Israel blamed Syria’s new ruler on the massacre and accused him of committing wild acts against civilians.
The roots of the current crisis lie in the fragile transition in Syria after Assad’s downfall.
Sharaa’s interim government struggles to assert control over various armed factions, while committing inclusiveness. Hardline jihadist groups and irregular militias operate with limited surveillance, undermine efforts to focus security and prevent violence.
They fear that the inability of the interim government to protect minorities will lead to further bloodshed of the sect.
Meanwhile, Russia, which maintains its military presence in Syria, reportedly provided shelter to displaced people but refrained from directly intervening in the conflict.
Originally published by The Christian Post
