Syria's Sharaa urges peace amid ongoing violence against Alawite minority

Sunday 09 March 2025 - 10:33

By: Zahouani Ilham

Syria's Sharaa urges peace amid ongoing violence against Alawite minority

Syrian interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa urged for peace on Sunday following the deaths of hundreds in coastal areas, marking the worst sectarian violence since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. "We must safeguard national unity and domestic peace; we can live together," Sharaa declared, as violence continued between Islamist factions and fighters from Assad's Alawite religious minority.

In a video message, Sharaa reassured the nation, stating that Syria has the resilience to survive the current crisis. Speaking from a mosque in his childhood neighborhood of Mazzah in Damascus, he acknowledged that the ongoing challenges were to be expected.

Syrian security sources confirmed the deaths of over 200 members of the Alawite minority in clashes with former Assad loyalists, following coordinated attacks and ambushes on Thursday. The violence escalated when armed supporters of Syria’s new leaders from across the country rallied to coastal areas to assist the new regime’s forces.

The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 745 Alawite civilians had been killed by security forces and allied groups since the fighting began. These killings included executions and looting, according to the observatory. In total, the death toll reached 1,018, including 125 security personnel and 148 Assad loyalists.

Authorities blamed armed militias aiding security forces for the killings and blamed Assad's supporters for past crimes. While Alawites have historically been a key support base for Assad, not all members of this religious minority backed the former president.

The fighting continued overnight in several towns, with armed groups ambushing security forces and attacking vehicles traveling along major highways in the coastal region, according to a Syrian security source.