'Revenge' killings and clashes kill over 1,000 in Syria’s deadliest surge: Report

A member of the Syrian Civil Defense (or the White Helmets) carries a girl after she was pulled from under the rubble of a destroyed house in the village of Al-Jadida in Idlib countryside, Syria. (Twitter)

A war monitoring group reported Saturday that more than 1,000 people have died following two days of intense clashes between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted President Bashar Assad, coupled with subsequent revenge killings.

The violence, described by the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights as one of the deadliest episodes in Syria’s 14-year conflict, has claimed the lives of 745 civilians—most killed in close-range shootings—along with 125 government security personnel and 148 militants linked to Assad’s armed factions, reported AP.

The clashes, which began Thursday, represent a significant challenge to the new government in Damascus, established three months ago after insurgents toppled Assad’s regime. According to the Observatory, as cited by the Associated Press (AP), large areas around Latakia have been left without electricity or drinking water amid the turmoil.

The Syrian government has attributed the violence to attacks by remnants of Assad’s forces, with officials blaming “individual actions” for the widespread chaos, per an AP report. The unrest escalated into revenge killings starting Friday, with Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government targeting members of Assad’s Alawite minority sect—a key support base during his decades-long rule. These attacks have dealt a severe blow to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the faction that spearheaded Assad’s overthrow.

Residents of Alawite villages and towns, speaking anonymously to the AP out of fear for their lives, described horrific scenes of gunmen shooting Alawites—mostly men—in streets or at their homes’ entrances. Homes were looted and set ablaze across Syria’s coastal region, forcing thousands to flee to nearby mountains for safety.

In Baniyas, one of the hardest-hit towns, residents told the AP that bodies littered the streets, homes, and rooftops, with gunmen blocking efforts to recover them for hours. Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old Baniyas resident who fled with his family, recounted to the AP that at least 20 neighbors and colleagues in an Alawite neighborhood were killed—some in their shops or homes. Speaking by phone from 20 kilometers (12 miles) outside the city, Sheha described the gunmen firing indiscriminately, checking IDs to identify victims’ religion or sect before executing them, and burning homes while looting cars and possessions. “It was very, very bad. Bodies were on the streets,” he said.

Sheha labeled the attacks as “revenge killings” against Alawites for atrocities committed under Assad’s regime. Other residents reported to the AP that the gunmen included foreign fighters and militants from nearby villages. The Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, told the AP that the revenge killings ceased early Saturday, calling the slaughter of Alawite civilians “one of the biggest massacres” in Syria’s conflict. The group’s earlier death toll estimate of over 600 had since multiplied.

On Saturday afternoon, a funeral took place in the northwestern village of Al-Janoudiya for four Syrian security force members killed in the coastal clashes, attended by scores of mourners, according to the AP. Meanwhile, Syria’s state news agency, quoted by the AP, cited an unnamed Defense Ministry official claiming government forces had regained control of most affected areas from Assad loyalists. Authorities have sealed off roads to the coastal region to restore stability, the official said.

In the central village of Tuwaym, residents buried 31 victims of Friday’s revenge attacks—including nine children and four women—in a mass grave, sharing photos with the AP of the bodies wrapped in white cloth. Across the border, Lebanese legislator Haidar Nasser told the AP that Syrians were fleeing to Lebanon for safety, with many seeking refuge at Russia’s Hmeimim air base. Nasser, representing Lebanon’s Alawite community, urged international protection for Alawites, noting that since Assad’s fall, many have lost jobs or been killed despite reconciling with the new government.

France voiced “deep concern” over the violence, condemning atrocities against civilians and prisoners based on religion, according to a Saturday statement from its foreign ministry reported by the AP. Paris called on Syria’s interim authorities to ensure independent investigations into these crimes. The Observatory, per the AP, traced the latest clashes to a government operation near Jableh to detain a wanted individual, which was ambushed by Assad loyalists, sparking the deadly spiral.