Syria announces end of military operation against al-Assad loyalists

The Syrian Ministry of Defense, headquartered in Damascus, announced the end of security operations in the country's western coastal region, a stronghold of supporters of former leader Bashar al-Assad. This operation aimed to eliminate security threats in the Latakia and Tartus provinces following a series of violent incidents in the area.

Spokesman Hassan Abdul Ghani stated on X on Monday that the security threats had been cleared. Reportedly, the days of deadly violence led to over 1,000 deaths, including many civilians, sparking international concern. Ghani said, "Having achieved the elimination of security threats, we announce the end of military operations."

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Monday that nearly 1,500 people have been killed in the violence since last Thursday. The war monitoring group reported that the majority of the dead were civilians, killed by security forces and their allies in the heartland of the Alawite minority, to which former President Bashar al-Assad belongs. Al Jazeera has not independently verified the report.

Ahmed Shala’a, the interim leader of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in Syria, pledged on Sunday to hunt down the perpetrators of the violent clashes, saying anyone exceeding the authority of the new rulers would be held accountable. Shala’a's office also stated that an independent committee is being formed to investigate the clashes and killings committed by both sides.

Abdul Ghani added on Monday that security forces would cooperate with the investigative committee, providing full access to ascertain the circumstances of the events, verify the facts, and ensure justice for the victims. He emphasized that security forces successfully repelled attacks by remnants of the former regime and their officers, and successfully expelled them from key locations, securing major roads.

“We are paving the way for life to return to normal and for the consolidation of security and stability,” Abdul Ghani said. He also added that plans have been put in place to continue combating remnants of the former government and to eliminate any future threats. However, instability and violence in Syria have begun to escalate after weeks of relative calm following Assad's ouster in December.

Security forces reported that they repelled an attack on a security checkpoint in the capital, Damascus. Al Jazeera's Resul Serdar, reporting from the capital, said two attackers who tried to storm a government building were arrested. Security forces told him other gunmen managed to escape. Serdar said, "It's not clear whether they are also part of remnants of the old regime or an independent group that wanted to stage an attack."

Iran's foreign ministry spokesman dismissed allegations of Iranian involvement in the violence in Syria and condemned attacks on Syrian minorities. This comes after media outlets, including Saudi-owned Al Arabiya, reported that Iran and its allies in the region were behind the violence. Shala’a had blamed the violence on "remnants of the overthrown regime and foreign powers behind them, who are trying to create new sedition and drag our country into civil war."

Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Ismail Baghaei said, "Such accusations are completely absurd and unacceptable, and we consider pointing the finger of blame at Iran and Iran's friends to be wrong, a distorted trend, and 100% misleading." He also added, "There is no justification for attacking Alawites, Christians, Druze, and other minorities, acts that truly hurt the feelings and conscience of the region and the international community." Iran helped support Assad during Syria's long civil war and provided him with military advisors.

Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said on Friday that Tehran had been "observing" the situation in Syria since the HTS takeover. "We have no relationship with the current government in Syria, and we are in no hurry in this regard," he said.