More than 1,000 people have been killed in two days of deadly clashes between Syrian security forces, supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad and subsequent revenge killings, a monitoring group has said.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 745 civilians were killed, mostly shot at close range. In addition, 125 members of government security forces and 148 militants affiliated with Assad were also killed. The violence has resulted in electricity and drinking water being cut off across large areas near the city of Latakia.
The clashes, which erupted on Thursday, mark the most serious escalation yet against the new government in Damascus, three months after insurgents seized power and removed Assad.
The government claimed its forces were responding to attacks by remnants of Assad’s regime, attributing much of the violence to “individual actions.”
The revenge killings, carried out on Friday by Sunni gunmen loyal to the new government against Assad’s minority Alawite sect, represent a significant blow to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham—the faction that led the overthrow of Assad. Alawites had formed a significant portion of Assad's support base for decades.
Residents from Alawite towns described to the Associated Press how armed men executed victims, primarily men, in the streets or outside their homes. Homes were looted and set alight, forcing thousands of terrified civilians to flee to nearby mountains for safety.
Residents in Baniyas, one of the hardest-hit towns, described bodies lying unattended in streets and on rooftops, with gunmen preventing their removal. Ali Sheha, 57, fled Baniyas with his family shortly after violence erupted on Friday. He said at least 20 of his neighbours and colleagues had been killed.
“It was very, very bad. Bodies were on the streets,” said Sheha, who spoke by phone from about 12 miles outside the city. He added that gunmen randomly fired at homes, checked residents' IDs to confirm their religious sect before executing them, and looted and torched properties.
Sheha described the attacks as "revenge killings" against Alawites for atrocities committed by Assad’s regime. Other residents suggested the gunmen included foreign fighters and militants from nearby villages.
Rami Abdurrahman, chief of the Observatory, said revenge killings appeared to have halted by early Saturday.
“This was one of the biggest massacres during the Syrian conflict,” he said, referring specifically to attacks targeting Alawite civilians.
The Observatory initially reported around 600 deaths but updated their figure as more information emerged. No official death toll has been released by authorities.
On Saturday afternoon, a funeral was held in Al-Janoudiya village for four Syrian security officers killed during clashes in the coastal area. Scores of mourners attended the service.
Syria’s state news agency quoted an unnamed Defence Ministry official stating government forces had regained control over most areas affected by Assad loyalists. Authorities have sealed off roads to the coastal region to “prevent violations and gradually restore stability.”
In the central village of Tuwaym, the bodies of 31 people killed in revenge attacks, including nine children and four women, were buried in a mass grave on Saturday morning, residents reported.
Lebanese legislator Haidar Nasser, who represents the Alawite community in parliament, said many Syrians were fleeing to Lebanon for safety, while others had sought refuge at the Russian airbase in Hmeimim. He urged international protection for Alawite citizens who have faced reprisals since Assad’s downfall.
France has expressed deep concern over the violence. A French Foreign Ministry statement said Paris “condemns in the strongest possible terms atrocities committed against civilians on religious grounds and against prisoners," calling for independent investigations to “shed full light on these crimes.”
According to the Observatory, the recent violence erupted after government forces attempting to detain a wanted individual near the coastal city of Jableh were ambushed by Assad loyalists.
