Syria’s interim government has sent reinforcements to coastal cities in the country’s northwest where security forces have been engaged in heavy battles with fighters loyal to former ruler Bashar al-Assad.
The violence, which has reportedly killed hundreds of people, including many civilians, presents the most serious challenge yet to new government’s authority since it took power following al-Assad’s removal in December 2024.
Security forces on Saturday said they had regained control of much of the areas in Tartous and Latakia governorates, where al-Assad loyalists carried out co-ordinated attacks at checkpoints, security convoys and military positions on Thursday.
Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted an unidentified security official as saying that after the attacks, numerous people went to the coastal areas seeking revenge for the assault on government security forces. The official said the actions “led to some individual violations and we are working on stop them”.
A curfew remains in effect in Latakia and other coastal areas that are predominantly home to al-Assad’s minority Alawite sect and make up his longtime base of support. Amid the ongoing fighting, dozens of civilians and members of the former regime and their families have taken shelter at the Russian Khmeimim base in the Latakia countryside.
In his first public comments since the surge in violence, interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday called on the fighters to lay down their weapons and surrender “before it is too late”.
Al-Sharaa, who commanded the opposition forces that removed al-Assad after nearly 14 years of war, said government forces would “pursue the remnants of the fallen regime” and bring them “to a fair court”.
Reporting from the capital Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar said the intensity of the clashes had significantly decreased by Saturday afternoon but added that there were still skirmishes in the outskirts of towns.
He added a “tragedy” was growing due to the rising death toll. “Hundreds of people have been killed and the majority of them are civilians,” Serdar added.
On Friday night, Hasan Abdel-Ghani, spokesperson for the Syrian Ministry of Defence, told Al Jazeera that fighters loyal the previous day had attacked security forces in several places in Latakia and Tartous governorates, killing “a number of security forces” in what he described as well-planned operations.
Meanwhile, the UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen said he was “deeply alarmed” by the developments.
“While the situation remains fluid and we are still determining the precise facts, there is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties, and full respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law,” Pedersen said in a statement.
“All parties should refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, destabilize Syria, and jeopardise a credible and inclusive political transition.”
‘Snowballing for some time’
The violence shakes al-Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate control amid ongoing Western sanctions and security challenges, including the presence of Israeli troops in the country’s southwest.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London, said the current situation “has been unfortunately snowballing for some time”.
“It was actually quite impressive that the new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa has managed to keep a lid on things until now – but their bluff has been very much called,” he said.
“[The transitional authorities] now need to respond, they need to respond decisively, they need to show that they are the ones in charge, but they also need to do so without alienating the Alawites.”
He added a lack of “reconciliation” for the myriad abuses committed by various groups during al-Assad’s rule has not yet been addressed, leading some to take matters into their own hands.
