A wave of violence has swept through Syria’s coastal regions, leaving over 1,000 people dead since Thursday. The violence comes just three months after President Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December. The killings have primarily targeted Alawites, Christians, and other minority communities, sparking widespread sectarian killings and mass executions.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reports that 745 civilians have been killed, mostly in shootings, with additional deaths among security forces and militants. Rami Abdulrahman, director of the SOHR, describes the violence as “sectarian massacres that aim to expel the Alawite population from their homes”.
The violence escalated after an ambush on a security patrol near Latakia by gunmen loyal to Assad, triggering a severe response from forces linked to Syria’s new Islamist rulers. Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former leader of the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), has condemned the violence and called for accountability.
The situation remains dire, with many fearing that the interim government’s inability to protect minorities will lead to further sectarian bloodshed.