On Monday, a wave of violence that killed hundreds of civilians in Syria has reached major cities in Damascus and Aleppo, hours after interim leader Ahmed Al-Sharaa vowed to bring the responsible judicial person to justice.
The battle between the capital Damascus and the second Aleppo was reportedly the first clash since the fall of the Bashar Assad regime. The days of conflict have been concentrated in the former Assad fortress along the Syrian Mediterranean coast.
More than 1,300 people were killed in Syria between three days and Sunday, the UK-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR) said in a statement. The number of deaths as of early Monday is unclear.
“We must admit that the fallen regime has left deep wounds during its reign,” Sarah said in a speech later Sunday.
“Syria and all its components will be united by the determination of its people,” he said, adding that he set up a “fact-finding committee to investigate incidents in the coastal areas, bring perpetrators to justice and reveal the truth to the Syrian people so that everyone knows who is responsible.”
According to SOHR, most of the battle was concentrated in the coastal areas of Latakia as of late Sunday, with at least 545 civilians reportedly killed and at least 252 civilians in Tartus. Both areas are home to the Syrian Alawite community, a small Islamic sect to which the Assad family belongs and has been a focus of security concern when the power of salad rises.
According to SOHR, the vast majority of civilians who have died in the violent outbreak in the past few days are the Alaveites. NBC News can’t independently verify this or the wider casualties.
By Monday, Syria’s national broadcast channel Sham FM reported a fierce clash between security forces in Damascus’s wealthy Mazzeh community, which is a residential embassy, hotel and government departments. The Vadan newspaper said security forces repelled attacks from unknown attackers at the checkpoint.
Although NBC News couldn’t immediately confirm the conflict independently, it would represent the first battle in the capital due to Assad’s defeat in December.
Meanwhile, Syrian Defense Ministry spokesman Colonel Hassan Abdul-Ghani told Syrian State News Agency Sanaa that military forces repelled the attack and caused losses to Syrian democratic forces in Aleppo, a U.S.-led force chaired by the Kurds, who was said to have attacked.
Abdul-Ghani said in a statement on Monday that security forces were able to “absorb the attacks of the fallen regime and its officials” from many areas, including Latakia and Tartus. “This leads to frustration of threats and secures the area,” he said.
He added that although he did not elaborate, new plans have been developed to eliminate future threats.
Ahmed Bayram of the Norwegian Refugee Council Charity said in a phone interview Monday morning that the violence has occurred in recent days.
“It’s worrying,” Beram said. “Even in the battle for the final government, there is no see the scale of what is happening.”
The outbreak of violence raises the question of whether salad can deliver on his promise to lead a more unified and inclusive country representing the country’s countless religions and races. Recent conflicts may even undermine his vision of Syria in the midst of progress that reassures Western leaders, his vision for Syria does not threaten the Syrian people.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the violence on Sunday, saying in a statement: “The United States stands among the religion and ethnic minorities in Syria” as he called on the country’s interim leaders to “responsible for these Holocaust minorities”.
For many Syrians, the battle will be an unpleasant reminder of the violence they wish to end with Assad’s rule.
Beram said the eruption could hinder efforts to manage humanitarian aid nationwide.
“You don’t want this to delay, and you don’t want to go back to the cycle of violence, death, destruction and displacement,” he said.
