Fighters aligned with Syria’s new government launched assaults on multiple villages near the country’s coast, killing dozens of men in response to recent attacks on government security forces by supporters of ousted President Bashar Assad, according to a war monitor.
The attacks on the villages began Thursday and continued into Friday, marking the most intense violence since Assad’s government was overthrown in early December by insurgent groups led by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham. The newly established government has vowed to unify Syria after 14 years of civil war.
Since the fighting erupted, more than 200 people have been killed, as reported by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Among the casualties are approximately 140 individuals killed in apparent retaliatory attacks in the villages, along with at least 50 members of Syria’s security forces and 45 fighters loyal to Assad. The ongoing civil war, which began in March 2011, has resulted in over half a million deaths and the displacement of millions.
Trigger for the Latest Clashes
The latest surge in violence was sparked when government forces attempted to arrest a wanted individual near the coastal city of Jableh on Thursday but were ambushed by Assad loyalists, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
On Thursday and Friday, armed men affiliated with the new government stormed the villages of Sheer, Mukhtariyeh, and Haffah, killing 69 men while sparing women, the observatory reported.
“They killed every man they encountered,” said Rami Abdurrahman, the chief of the observatory.
Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV also covered the attacks, stating that more than 30 men were killed in the village of Mukhtariyeh alone.
Additionally, the observatory reported that another 60 people, including women and children, lost their lives in the town of Baniyas.
Government Response and Calls for Restraint
Syrian authorities have not released an official death toll. However, Syria’s state news agency SANA quoted an unnamed security official acknowledging that numerous individuals had traveled to the coast seeking retribution for attacks on government security forces.
The official stated that these actions “led to some individual violations and we are working on stop them.”
Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a video statement urging former government fighters to surrender their weapons and calling on supporters of the new government to avoid harming civilians or mistreating prisoners.
“When we compromise our ethics, we reduce ourselves to the same level as our enemy,” he said. “The remnants of the fallen regime are looking for a provocation that will lead to violations behind which they can seek refuge.”
Government Forces Clash With Assad Loyalists in Syria
Coastal Strongholds of Assad Loyalists
Overnight, Damascus deployed reinforcements to the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartus, as well as nearby villages that have historically been strongholds of Assad’s Alawite sect. A curfew remained in effect in Latakia and other coastal areas.
Under Assad’s rule, Alawites held high-ranking positions in the military and security forces. The new government has blamed Assad loyalists for recent attacks on Syria’s security forces. While there have been some retaliatory attacks against Alawites, the new government insists it will not permit collective punishment or sectarian reprisals.
As of Friday, the observatory reported that Jableh, the coastal town of Baniyas, and several Alawite villages—including Assad’s hometown of Qardaha, situated in the mountains overlooking Latakia—remained under the control of his supporters.
Residents of Qardaha described the severity of the situation. One person told The Associated Press via text message that government forces were firing heavy machine guns into residential areas. Another said residents had been trapped in their homes since Thursday afternoon due to relentless gunfire. Both spoke anonymously out of fear of reprisal.
Fears of Escalating Sectarian Violence
Gregory Waters, an associate fellow at the Middle East Institute who specializes in Syria’s coastal regions, does not anticipate a prolonged battle between the two sides. However, he expressed concern that the conflict could incite cycles of sectarian violence among the civilian populations along the coast.
Furthermore, Waters warned that any human rights violations committed by government security forces in these areas could drive young Alawite men to take up arms against the new government out of fear.
Meanwhile, in Damascus, a crowd braved the rain at Umayyad Square to demonstrate support for the new government.
“We’ve had enough of long periods of wars and tragedies,” said retiree Mazen Abdelmajeed. He attributed the violence to elements of the former regime and stressed the importance of preserving Syria’s unity.
“No one wants a civil war to happen,” he said. “We’re not against any of the components of the Syrian people. … We’re all one Syrian people.”
Qutaiba Idlbi, a research fellow at the Atlantic Council think tank, emphasized that beyond the risk of sectarian escalation, the violence has exposed a “big security challenge for the government in terms of potentially its inability to address multiple security threats on multiple fronts across the country.” He suggested that armed groups opposing the new government might seize on this weakness.
Syrians Turn to Russia for Protection
On Friday, scores of Syrians gathered outside Russia’s primary airbase near Jableh to request Moscow’s protection. Russia, which entered the Syrian conflict in 2015 in support of Assad, has since developed ties with the new government. Assad himself has been living in Moscow since his departure from Syria in December.
Russia’s foreign ministry issued a written statement affirming that Moscow is “closely coordinating efforts with foreign partners in the interests of a speedy de-escalation of the situation.”
“We reaffirm our principled position in support of the sovereignty, unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” the statement read. “We expect that all states that have influence on the situation in Syria will contribute to its normalization.”
Turkey Warns of Threat to Stability
Turkey, which previously backed insurgents during Assad’s rule, issued a warning on Friday that the recent violence poses a significant risk to Syria’s new government.
“Intensive efforts are underway to establish security and stability in Syria,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesperson Oncu Keceli posted on X. “At this critical juncture, the targeting of security forces could undermine the efforts to lead Syria into the future in unity and solidarity.”
