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As of Saturday morning, the death toll from clashes in Syria’s coastal Latakia region has surpassed 500, with transitional government forces battling gunmen loyal to deposed leader Bashar al-Assad, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The observatory reports that at least 120 insurgents and 93 government troops have been killed, and that at least 330 civilians have died in reprisal attacks described as “massacres.” A SOHR spokesperson stated that the young men were killed in a manner similar to operations conducted by the security forces of the former regime, with Alawite civilians, including women and children, executed and their properties plundered.
Violence erupted around the town of Jableh on Thursday and has since spread along Syria’s Mediterranean coast, the heartland of the country’s Alawite minority, which includes former president Assad. Syria’s General Intelligence Service claim that initial investigations show former military and security leaders associated with the ousted regime are responsible for the attacks. On the other hand, a Defense Ministry spokesman said government forces had made rapid progress in regaining control of areas where such attacks occurred.
Germany’s Foreign Ministry called on all sides in Syria to avoid a “spiral of violence,” saying they are shocked by the numerous victims in the western regions of the country and urging all parties to seek peaceful solutions, national unity, inclusive political dialogue, transitional justice, and to overcome the cycle of violence and hatred.
Syrian authorities have said they are aware of some individual violations and are working to stop them. Meanwhile, Syria’s interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, called on pro-Assad fighters to lay down their arms and vowed to continue working towards monopolizing weapons in the hands of the state.
Armed groups with links to the former regime are still active in a number of towns and villages in the mountainous coastal region. The new government has pledged to unite Syria after 14 years of civil war that has cost over half a million lives and displaced millions more.
