Syrian government fighters clash with Assad loyalists, nearly 200 killed – State
War watchers said combatants who were with the new Syrian government attacked three villages near the country’s coast in response to recent attacks by deposed President Bashar Assad’s loyalists on government security forces, killing dozens of villages.
The attacks in the village broke out on Thursday and continued on Friday. The ongoing conflict between the two sides has marked the worst act of violence since the Assad government overthrew the insurgent group led by the Islamic group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham in early December. 14 years after the civil war, the new government has promised to unite Syria.
According to the British Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 200 people have been killed since the outbreak of the battle. In addition to the 69 people killed in the village, the dead included at least 50 members of the Syrian government forces and 45 combatants loyal to Assad. The civil war that has been raging in Syria since March 2011 killed more than half a million people and displaced millions.
According to the UK-based Syrian Human Rights Observatory, the recent conflict began with government forces trying to detain a wanted criminal near the coastal city of Japur and ambushed by Assad loyalists.
According to the Observatory, gunmen loyal to the new government attacked the villages of Sheer, Mukhtariyeh and Haffah near the coast, killing 69 men but not harming women.
“They killed everyone they met,” said Rami Abdurrahman, head of the observatory.
Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV also reported attacks on three villages, saying more than 30 people were killed in Mukhtariyeh village alone.
Syrian authorities have not released the death toll, but Syria's national news agency Sanaa quoted an unidentified security official as saying that many went to the coast to seek retaliation for the recent attacks on government security forces. The actions “cause some personal violations and we are working to stop them,” the official said.
Overnight, Damascus sent reinforcements to the coastal cities of Latakia and Taltas, as well as nearby villages, which were home to the Assad minority Alawites and formed his long-term support base. The curfew remains in effect in Latakia and other coastal areas.
Under Assad, the Arawites held the highest position in the Army and Security Agency. The new government has blamed his loyalists for his attacks on the country's new security forces in the past few weeks. Although the new government said it would not allow collective punishment or sectarian revenge, there have been some attacks on the Alaves in recent weeks.
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Coastal towns are still under the control of Assad loyalists
As of Friday, Jableh and the coastal town of Baniyas were still under the control of Assad loyalists, with other nearby Alawipai villages and Qardaha, the home town of Assad, overlooking Latakia, the Observatory said.
A Kadaha resident told the Associated Press in a text message that government forces opened fire with heavy machine guns in residential areas of the town. Another person said people have been unable to leave their homes since Thursday afternoon due to the intensity of the shooting. Both talked anonymously because of fear of retribution.
Fighting may inspire more sectarian tensions
Gregory Waters, a colleague at the Middle East Institute, which studies the coastal areas of Syria, said he does not want FL fatigue to escalate into a continued battle between the two sides. However, he said he was concerned that this could lead to a cycle of violence between different civilian communities in the coastal areas.
Furthermore, any violations of security forces sent from Damascus would make young Alawian men more concerned about the new government and more likely to tolerate weapons.
In Damascus, a group of people gathered in the rain at Umayyad Square to show their support for the new government.
“We have had war and tragedy long enough,” said retiree Mazen Abdelmajeed. He blamed the violence on the remnants of the former regime and said that unity in Syria must be preserved.
“No one wants a civil war,” he said. “We are not against any component of the Syrian people. …We are all Syrians.”
Syrian people seek help from Russia
On Friday, dozens of people gathered outside the main air base in Syria near Japur to demand protection from Moscow. Russia joined the Syrian conflict next to Assad in 2015, despite having since established ties with the new government. Assad has lived in Moscow since leaving Syria in December.
Moscow “works closely with foreign partners for a rapid downgrade.”
“We reaffirm our principled position to support the sovereignty, solidarity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” the statement said. “We expect all states that have impacted the situation in Syria to contribute to their normalization.”
Türkiye, who supported the rebels while Assad was still in power, warned on Friday that the current battle posed a serious threat to the new government.
“Strong efforts are underway to establish security and stability in Syria,” Turkish Foreign Ministry spokesman Oncu Keceli said in an article on X. “At this critical moment, the goal of security forces may undermine Syria's efforts to put Syria into a unified and united future.”
Associated Press writer Omar Albam contributed to the report in Latakia, Syria; Mariam Fam of Damascus, Syria.
& Copy 2025 Canadian Press
