Syria has witnessed its deadliest surge in violence since the country’s transitional government took power, with over 225 people killed in clashes between security forces and loyalists of former President Bashar al-Assad, according to the UK-based Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR). The violence erupted on Thursday in Syria’s coastal regions of Latakia and Tartous, historically strongholds of Assad’s Alawite sect.
The violence began when security forces under Syria’s Caretaker Government (SCG) attempted to arrest a wanted individual near the coastal city of Jableh. While the suspect was successfully detained, SCG personnel were ambushed by Assad loyalists dubbed the ‘Coastal Shield Brigade’ en route to the Jableh police station. This triggered a series of attacks on SCG checkpoints across rural Latakia, killing scores of government-backed security soldiers.
WATCH 🔴
Assad loyalists ambush HTS militants (Jolani forces) on the outskirts of Latakia, Syria.
Insane footage. pic.twitter.com/HmPgN7OAiV
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 7, 2025
Heavy clashes between Assad regime forces vs Jolani forces. Some wild footage here pic.twitter.com/en3sPuet13
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 6, 2025
In response, the SCG launched a major security operation in Latakia, Tartous, and Hama. According to the SNHR, at least 100 SCG security personnel and 125 civilians were killed. Human rights monitors reported that civilians were executed or killed during raids on several Alawite-majority villages, including Sheer, Mukhtariyeh, and Haffah.
WATCH 🔴
SYRIA: Fierce clashes between Syrian forces and Assad loyalists enter day two. The Syrian Observatory reports 147 dead, including 69 Alawites executed. Curfews in Tartous and Latakia extended until 10 a.m. tomorrow. pic.twitter.com/m6nD5BarYw
— Open Source Intel (@Osint613) March 7, 2025
In Mukhtariyah, 38 Alawite men were reportedly executed in what observers described as revenge killings by SCG forces. Meanwhile, in Baniyas, at least 60 people, including women and children, were killed amid the crackdown. Social media footage verified by Reuters and viewed by SOFX Editors showed at least 20 civilian bodies piled in Mukhtariyeh’s streets.
The SCG’s response has drawn accusations of collective punishment, with some residents claiming security forces targeted anyone over the age of 14. Activists reported mass arrests and executions in several villages and described homes being set ablaze in apparent retaliation.
Sectarian violence has been a growing concern. While some Alawite communities have surrendered their weapons since Assad’s fall, others have resisted, fearing persecution. Alawite activists have accused the SCG of disproportionately targeting their communities.
Amid the chaos, dozens of Alawite civilians reportedly fled to the Russian-controlled Hmeimim airbase seeking protection.
📌A group of Alawite civilians fled to the Russian base (Hmeimim) to plead for protection
📌Alawite activists and community leaders had previously said that their community has been subjected to violence and attacks since Assad fell, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia. pic.twitter.com/gbarh6WL35— Rojava Information Center (@RojavaIC) March 7, 2025
Eyewitness testimony and footage from social media indicate that SCG forces also shelled the rugged Latakia countryside with barrel bombs from helicopters and employed armed drones to track down militants.
Footage has appeared online, appearing to show forces under the Syrian Interim Government dropping barrel bombs out the back of a Mi-8 helicopter, onto Assadist positions along the coast of Jableh in the Latakia Governorate, close to Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base. The use of barrel… pic.twitter.com/R3KoLJnDsK
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) March 7, 2025
New Syrian Govt forces dropped HE-FRAG projectiles on Assadist militia in the vicinity of Jableh, #Latakia.
The Insurgents seem to have had at least one major highway ambush foiled due to HTS drones and superior recce capabilities. pic.twitter.com/musiJfJBWb
— Cᴀʟɪʙʀᴇ Oʙsᴄᴜʀᴀ (@CalibreObscura) March 7, 2025
Initially, Syrian government officials and Transitional President Ahmad al-Sharaa defended the security crackdown, asserting that the operations were part of an effort to eliminate “remnants of the former regime.”
However, after facing international criticism and widespread circulation of footage described as evidence of “war crimes” by prominent social media accounts, President Ahmad al-Sharaa issued a follow-up statement urging his forces to exercise restraint. He warned that excessive retaliation would only escalate the crisis.
“When we compromise our ethics, we reduce ourselves to the same level as our enemy,” al-Sharaa said.
Meanwhile, Syria’s state media quoted an unidentified security official who acknowledged that some individuals had traveled to the coast seeking revenge for recent attacks on government security forces. The official admitted that these actions “led to some individual violations,” adding that authorities were “working to stop them.”
International reactions have been mixed. Russia called for calm, while Iran condemned the killing of civilians. Saudi Arabia blamed “outlaw groups” for targeting security forces, while Turkey backed the SCG’s efforts to stabilize the region. Meanwhile, the Alawite Islamic Council called on the United Nations to intervene, warning that violence against their community had intensified since Assad’s fall.
Despite reinforcements arriving from Hama, Aleppo, Damascus, and Idlib — including units from the Syrian National Army and Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) — fighting persisted in several areas. As of Friday, Assad loyalists continued to hold parts of Jableh, Baniyas, and villages near Assad’s hometown of Qardaha.
