Gunmen launched an attack on a Damascus position held by Syrian security forces, causing worries that the deadly violence affecting Syria’s coastal region could spread to other areas of the country, as reported by a war monitor on Monday.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, based in Britain, which has monitored the conflict in Syria since 2011, stated that unidentified assailants threw grenades and opened fire on a government security forces building in the heavily fortified district of Mezzeh in the capital, Damascus. Clashes between the attackers and government security forces followed, but it was not clear if anyone was injured. The observatory also reported that an unspecified number of people were arrested.

No immediate comment was made by Syria’s new government or state news media, and the information couldn’t be independently verified.

This attack occurred while the country was already dealing with a recent wave of violence between fighters associated with Syria’s new government, led by Ahmed al-Shara, and those still loyal to the deposed dictator, Bashar al-Assad.

Since the fighting began, over 1,300 people have been killed, mostly in the coastal Latakia and Tartus Provinces, according to the observatory. It is estimated that approximately 1,000 of these casualties were civilians, most of whom were killed by forces affiliated with or loyal to the new government. This information also couldn’t be independently verified.

The violence has raised concerns about a renewed sectarian conflict and constitutes the most significant challenge yet to the new leaders as they aim to unite the nation after more than a decade of war. The Alawite sect, to which the Assad family belongs, previously dominated the country’s upper class and the highest ranks of the military under the former regime.

Though state news media stated that the “military operation” was over, the violence reportedly persisted as government-affiliated fighters stormed a town near the coastal city of Baniyas and set fire to homes.

Syria’s interim president, Mr. al-Shara, declared on Sunday the formation of a fact-finding committee to investigate the violence in the coastal regions and ensure the perpetrators face justice. It was unclear, however, whether Mr. al-Shara was acknowledging the potential killings by his forces or attributing the violence to elements of the former regime.

In an apparent attempt to reassure the nation, he called for calm and reiterated appeals for Assad loyalists to surrender their arms.

“Preserving national unity and civil peace” was Mr. al-Shara’s message during a video that circulated online, where he spoke at a mosque in Damascus.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/10/world/europe/syria-damascus-clashes.html