On Thursday, an attack near the port of Latakia reopened the wounds of the country’s 13-year civil war and triggered the worst violence in Syria, with insurgents led by Islamic group Hayat Tahrir Al-Sham or HTS (HTS) since December.
The anti-aggressiveness of the anti-Assad loyalists has largely caused damage to the coastal areas, causing damage to several cities and towns. Rights groups reported that Sunni militants targeting a few Islamic sects have led to dozens of revenge killings, whether they were involved in the rebellion or not.
Here are the latest violence in the war:
What started violence? Tensions have been intensifying since Assad ruled Syria for more than 50 years after Assad committed a sectarian attack on the Arawites. The attack continues despite the promise of Syria’s interim president that the country’s new leaders will bring a political future to Syria, which includes and represents all its communities.
In their ambush, the pro-Assad Alavet gunman was overwhelmed by the government security force, who later took control of the Assad hometown of Qardaha, Damascus, as Damascus scrambled to introduce reinforcements. Defense Ministry spokesman Hassan Abdel-Ghani said on Sunday that security forces have restored control of the region and will continue to follow the leaders of the galvanized rebellion. But despite the authorities’ call for an end to sectarian incitement, the conflict was deadly, with many civilians killed.
Who is the dead? Apparently, most of the dead are members of the Alavet community, who live primarily in the coastal provinces of the country, including the cities of Latakia and Tarachi. Rights groups estimate hundreds of civilians were killed.
The Alawi sect is a branch of Shia Islam, which once formed the core constituency of the Assad government in Sunni majority countries.
Assad’s opponents granted Syria privileges to the Alavi community under family rule. As the civil war intensified, militant groups emerged across the country and regarded the Alavians as a branch of Assad and its main military allies, Russia and Iran.
Syria’s new provisional government is under Sunni Islamic rule. Former HTS leader Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa promised the country would transition to a system that includes religious and ethnic groups in Syria under fair elections, but skeptics question whether this would actually happen.
At present, little is known about the remnants of Assad’s military and intelligence services and the identities of foreign supporters.
Why is the Alavipai targeting the target? Syrian human rights observers said 745 civilians were killed, mainly in the shooting. In addition, 125 members of the government security forces and 148 armed groups with armed groups with Assad were killed. In large areas near Latakia, electricity and drinking water were cut off.
Meanwhile, both the Syrian movement and the Syrian human rights network advocated Assad after the civil war began in 2011, saying that security forces and pro-Assad gunmen were “engaging in large-scale executions and systematic killings.”
SNHR estimates that 100 members of government security forces were killed on Thursday, while 125 of 140 civilians were killed over the weekend on “suspected revenge killing.”
The Associated Press cannot verify these figures, and the death toll during the Syrian attacks over the years has not been uncommon. Two residents in the coastal area said many of the Alavi family’s houses were plundered and caught fire. They said from the hiding place anonymously, worried about their lives.
Damascus blames “personal actions” for widespread violence against civilians and says government security forces are responding to gunmen loyal to the former government.
Can peace be restored after a conflict in Damascus? Damascus has been working with skeptics of the Islamic government as well as Kurdish-led authorities in the northeast and the Druze minority in the south. Al-Sharaa lobbying convinces the United States and Europe to lift sanctions, paving the way for an economic recovery, lifting millions of Syrians out of poverty and making the country viable again.
Washington and Europe are concerned that lifting sanctions before Syria transitions to an inclusive political system could pave the way for another chapter of dictatorship.
Al-Sharaa appealed to Syrians and the international community in her weekend speech, calling for accountability for anyone who harms civilians and abuses prisoners. According to Assad, this kind of human rights violation is rampant. Al-Sharra also set up a committee of judges to investigate violence.
In a statement issued on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio urged Syrian authorities to “take responsibility for the perpetrators of these massacres.” Rubio said the United States “with Syria’s religion and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alavet and Kurdish communities.”
