On Sunday, Ahmed al-Shara, the interim president of Syria, called for national unity and tranquility in a bid to reassure the nation following days of intense fighting that has reportedly resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people.
In a statement delivered from a mosque in Damascus that was shared online, Mr. al-Shara emphasized the importance of maintaining peace and civil order, encouraging Syrians to remain calm as he stated that the country has the foundational basis for survival.
The violence began last week when conflict erupted between forces aligned with Syria’s new government, under Mr. al-Shara’s leadership, and supporters of the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad. According to war monitoring groups, both civilians and combatants have suffered casualties.
Mr. al-Shara’s plea for stability came amidst reports of ongoing clashes in the rural areas of the coastal Latakia and Tartus provinces. Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani of the Defense Ministry informed state media that government forces were conducting operations to find and subdue armed rebels loyal to Assad.
The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights documented government forces using drones, tanks, and artillery on Sunday, while also confirming that the government was on the lookout for armed groups connected to Assad’s military.
These coastal provinces are significant as they are home to the Alawite religious minority, which was predominant in Syria’s ruling elite and military hierarchy, including the Assad family themselves. This demographic factor has raised concerns about the possibility of renewed sectarian violence.
The Observatory reported that over 1,000 individuals have been killed in Tartus and Latakia provinces since the clashes began last week, with approximately 700 being civilians, most at the hands of government forces. Though these figures could not be independently verified, another monitoring group, the Syrian Network for Human Rights, reported that government security forces had killed at least 125 civilians without distinguishing between civilians and combatants.
The current violence represents the most severe since the fall of Assad’s government in early December, which was replaced by a rebel-led administration. This situation poses a significant challenge to the new government’s authority and its capability to bring unity to a nation marred by over 13 years of civil war and deep sectarian divides.
Source: https://www.nytimes.com/2025/03/09/world/middleeast/syria-latakia-clashes.html
