In his first statement on the violence, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said government forces would hunt down the “remnants” of the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad and bring them to justice
Syrian security forces and gunmen linked to them have killed more than 530 civilians in the past two days, most of them from the Alawite minority, according to Rami Abdulrahman of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
He told Reuters on Saturday.
Other Syrian sources put the death toll at between 180 and 200.
On Thursday, Syrian state media quoted an Interior Ministry source as saying there had been “isolated violations” during a government operation to combat terrorists linked to the Assad regime, and that they were working to resolve those incidents.
Reuters could not independently confirm the report.
On Friday, for a second day in a row, Syrian security forces fought to crush an initial uprising by fighters from Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect.
Dozens of people were killed as the Islamist-led government faced its biggest challenge to its authority yet.
Among the casualties, at least 24 men from the Alawite town of Al Mukhtareyah were killed by gunmen on Friday, according to the Observatory and two Alawite activists, who cited contacts in the area and video footage from the scene.
In his first statement on the violence, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa said government forces would hunt down the “remnants” of Bashar al-Assad’s ousted regime and bring them to a fair trial.
He also promised that those who attacked civilians would be held accountable.
“We will continue to pursue the remnants of the fallen regime…
We will bring them to a fair trial, we will limit the weapons to state control, and there will be no weapons left in Syria,” Sharaa said in a recorded speech.
Syrian officials said the violence began on Thursday when groups loyal to Assad launched a deadly and well-planned attack on government forces.
The wave of violence is hampering Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate his control as his government tries to lift U.S. sanctions and faces broader security challenges, especially in the southwest, where Israel has said it will prevent Damascus from sending forces.
The country’s oil-rich northeast is also outside government control, dominated by a Kurdish-led group backed by the U.S. Syrians took to the streets in Damascus and other cities on Friday to support the government.
Iran, once Assad’s closest ally, said it “strongly opposes insecurity, violence, killings and attacks on innocent Syrians from all groups and tribes.” Footage from Al Mukhtareyah showed at least 20 men lying close to each other, some bloodied, on the side of a road in the city center.
Reuters confirmed the location of the video but could not verify when or by whom it was recorded.
Alawite activists, who declined to be identified, blamed the killings on gunmen linked to the ruling Islamist authorities.
Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted a security source as saying “isolated violations” had occurred after disorganized crowds moved to the coastal area following attacks on government security personnel.
“We are working to stop these violations,” the source said.
Curfew
The violence began on Thursday when authorities said Assad-aligned militias attacked patrols and checkpoints in the Jableh area and the surrounding countryside before spreading.
Moussa al-Omar, a Syrian media figure close to the new leadership, told Reuters that tens of thousands of fighters from Syria’s new security forces had been deployed to the coast in the operation, and that order had been largely restored by Friday night.
He said the crackdown was “a message to anyone in southern or eastern Syria that the state can use military force at any time, even while seeking peaceful solutions.”
Curfews were announced on Friday in the coastal cities of Tartous and Latakia, SANA said.
Security forces conducted search operations in both cities and nearby mountains.
Alawite activists say their community has suffered violence and attacks, especially in rural areas of Homs and Latakia, since Assad was toppled in December after decades of repressive rule by his family and a civil war.
While Sharaa has promised to govern Syria in an inclusive way, there have been no announced meetings between him and senior Alawite leaders, unlike with members of other minority groups.
Published in 03/08/2025 18h03
Text adapted by AI (Grok) and translated via Google API in the English version. Images from public image libraries or credits in the caption.
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