A self-proclaimed Syrian president, Ahmed al-Scharaa, stated on Sunday that the current developments were within the “expected challenges” as the fighting between forces linked to the new Islamist authorities and Alawite minority groups continued.
In a video circulated by Arab media, including the Saudi Arabian TV channel Al Arabiya, al-Scharaa called for national unity in a sermon at a mosque.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the security forces of the new Syrian government have committed a series of massacres in the coastal cities of the country, resulting in the deaths of hundreds of Alawite civilians in just three days.
The UK-based war monitoring group reported that 532 civilians were killed in revenge attacks, in addition to 120 former Syrian army fighters and 89 security personnel of the new government, led by the former Al-Qaida affiliate, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The SOHR’s head, Rami Abdul Rahman, stated that the revenge killings ceased early on Saturday. “This was one of the largest massacres during the Syrian conflict” Abdul Rahman added.
Local sources reported to Al Mayadeen that more than 400 civilians were killed in massacres and executions on the Syrian coast. The Al Mayadeen correspondent reported that “the residents no longer trust the Turkistan, Chechen and Syrian Islamists to leave their homes” due to the ongoing massacres.
In a recent speech, al-Scharaa stated that his government would ensure only state representatives possess weapons.
On Saturday, the bodies of 31 people, including nine children and four women, were buried in a mass grave in the Tuwaym village, after being massacred by armed forces of the Syrian government the previous day, according to AP reports.
The majority-Alawite region of Latakia, on the Mediterranean coast, has been the site of intense fighting since Thursday, between the new Islamist authorities and armed militias, which are often referred to as supporters of the Assad regime in Western media. The extent of the violence now raises further questions about the new Islamist authorities’ ability to protect minority groups.