A weekend from hell in coastal Syria

Syria's situation is volatile and unstable. Last weekend, the country experienced one of the bloodiest events in its troubled history. This incident poses a significant challenge to the credibility of Syria's newly formed government.

Militants loyal to the ousted President Bashar al-Assad launched a brutal attack on the coastal region. The conflict escalated into retaliatory attacks against civilians, resulting in hundreds of deaths and thousands displaced. These killings have exacerbated the atmosphere of sectarianism and intimidation, creating further instability.

Civilians affiliated with the Alawite sect, to which Assad and most of his loyalists belong, were particularly targeted. While the Syrian government's Ministry of Defense stated that operations against "remnants of the regime" had been completed, residents of coastal cities indicated that the violence had not ended, although it had decreased. The ongoing tensions highlight the deep divisions within Syrian society.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) documented 779 "extrajudicial executions" since Thursday, stating that this figure does not include the deaths of Assad loyalists in combat. This includes 211 civilians and 179 security personnel killed by Assad loyalists, as well as 396 civilians and unarmed loyalists killed by armed groups and security forces. The UK-based war monitor, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, put the total death toll at over 1,000, emphasizing the widespread nature of the violence.

The deadly weekend began on Thursday evening when armed groups loyal to Assad attacked New Government security forces in Jableh, killing an officer. According to Shafiq (pseudonym), an Alawite man from the port city of Banias, security forces responded quickly to the incident, informing residents of the Syrian coast to stay in their homes and not to be afraid. Pro-Assad militants initially overwhelmed government forces and seized control of Assad's hometown of Qardaha. The Syrian government urgently mobilized reinforcements but eventually managed to regain some control. Helicopters fired on areas where clashes occurred that night. "Finally, things went well. The factions killed the remnants of the regime, and all night, the sounds of beatings, shootings, and bombs did not stop," Shafiq told Middle East Eye.

The clashes on Thursday escalated into uncontrolled mass killings on Friday. Convoys of militants belonging to groups fighting Assad stormed into the northwestern provinces of Latakia and Tartus. They dispersed into coastal towns and cities, hunting down Alawites. Shafiq recalled that fighters arrived in Banias at around 11 a.m. and went straight to the Alawite-majority areas of al-Qusour and al-Mrouj. "They broke into all the shops on the street, stole everything, while shouting and cursing the Alawites. After stealing, they burned the shops, then started climbing the buildings. They started going into houses, door to door." He said that once they reached his neighborhood, whether the militants killed, beat, or stole from them was "a matter of luck."

Militants knocked on his front door, and his mother answered. She was condemned for being married to an Alawite. A fighter told her that they would only leave after taking "either souls or gold." "She told him: 'I swear we have no gold, we sold it all.' So he said: 'Either you pay us money, or you will all be killed. Your children are dirty Alawites, it is lawful to kill them,'" Shafiq recalled. After receiving payment, the men left to find other houses to attack. "We lived in constant fear, hearing the sounds of people being killed and screaming," Shafiq said. "The bodies in the streets were horrific." Further north, just below the city of Latakia, the town of al-Mukhtariya suffered a similar fate. "My aunt was in al-Mukhtariya," Faisal said. "They came in, took her husband and son, supposedly to an unknown location. Hours passed, and their bodies were found in the street." Faisal said the militants returned to speak with his aunt, "who had just lost her only son," and told her: "It's your turn, woman, we won't leave a single Alawite."

Shafiq said the killings started again the next morning, but this time it was different. Members of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) drove around the coast in cars with women sitting in the front. Out of sight, Sunni women and HTS fighters were helping Alawite families escape and taking them to areas where they could find safe shelter. As the Alawites fled, they saw their communities in ruins. "All my friends are gone, Banias is burned," Ali said. "My friend's body is in the street."

Defense Ministry spokesman Hassan Abdul-Ghani said on Sunday that security forces had regained control of the coast and would continue to hunt down those who led the pro-Assad rebellion. HTS leader and interim president Ahmed Shala spoke, promising to hunt down the remaining Assad loyalists and those who killed civilians. "We will hold accountable with full determination anyone involved in the shedding of civilian blood, abusing civilians, exceeding the authority of the state, or exploiting power for personal gain," he said. "No one will be above the law." The government also announced that it would form a committee to investigate the clashes and killings on both sides, aiming for transparency.

Throughout Sunday, the fighting and killings on the coast slowed down. In the mountains, where it is believed that approximately 5,000 pro-Assad rebels are hiding, clashes continued. The state news agency SANA reported that a large grave containing the bodies of Syrian security forces was found in Qardaha. Meanwhile, in Banias, Ali said some of his relatives were also found in mass graves. "They buried my uncle in a mass grave, not even in the village," he said. "His grave has no name, and there is no remaining space in the cemetery."

The situation in Syria remains highly tense. Alawites accuse the newly formed government of failing to protect them. Ali said that security forces initially refused to allow people to retrieve bodies from the Alawite-majority town of al-Qusoor, which he believes was because they were trying to cover up the crimes committed there. Sectarian rhetoric has increased sharply online. A Syrian NGO in the north even released a video of Ramadan sweets with the message: "An Alawite has the right to rest in his grave." Its head was later arrested. Despite the horrific events, Fadel Abdul Ghani, the founder and director of SNHR, believes that acts such as Sunnis protecting Alawites from massacres are a hope for Syria's future.

"There are many local reconciliations between Sunnis and Alawites," he said. "Sunnis protect Alawites, and Alawites protect Sunnis. At the social level, this cohesion exists. They are friends living side by side." Abdul Ghani said that reconciliation will require both sides to acknowledge the suffering endured over the past few years, and that much of this work will fall to the state. "The state should take care of all citizens, regardless of their religion or sect," he said. "If the state takes these initiatives, conducts investigations, corrects, acknowledges, apologizes, and holds those who committed violations accountable, I think we will be moving in the right direction."