Syria: Reports on massacres of more than 160 civilians

With the worst outbreak of unrest in Syria since the change of power around three months ago, hundreds of people have been killed or injured in fighting between security forces and supporters of the fallen long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 300 civilians, including women and children, are said to have been executed by fighters on the part of the new rulers. The victims are said to be members of the Alawite minority, who also belongs to Al-Assad.

Transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa turned to the population on Friday evening. Removing the fallen ex-government had tried to “test the new Syria” with attacks. Al-Sharaa praised the security forces’ reaction and called on the attackers to put down their weapons. Anyone who commits attacks against civilians is punished hard, the former rebel manager announced at the same time. He did not mention reports on massacres.

The UN special envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, was “deeply concerned”. In a message, he called on all sides to refrain from actions, “who further fuel the tensions, escalate the conflict, aggravate the suffering of the affected communities, destabilize Syria and endanger a credible and integrative political transition”. The protection of the civilian population must be preserved in accordance with international law.

“Massers were committed to the Alawite religious community,” said the director of the Syrian Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, Rami Abdel-Rahman, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Activists from the city of Idlib, with whom the dpa could speak, blamed armed supporters of the transitional government. They are said to have opposed commands from Damascus. According to the Syrian state television, unknown people are said to have dressed up with uniforms of the government troops and committed the deeds in order to instigate a civil war.

Secret service chief Anas Khatab called his own fighters to restraint. Transitional President Al-Sharaa called “all the forces that have participated in the fights” called up to accommodate the military’s commanders and “immediately clear the positions to check the current violations”. For the former rebel chief, the arguments have been the first big test since the takeover.

“The remnants of the old regime take advantage of the limited military and security policy capacities of the Syrian government to hinder the political transition in Syria,” said Lina Khatib from the Chatham House think tank to the “Wall Street Journal”. Al-Schaara’s government stands in front of the dilemma of tough against supporters al-assads to prevent a full uprising-but without spoiling the Alawites who were worried about their future and experienced attacks, according to the newspaper.

Secret service chief Khatab blamed leading characters from the mastery and security apparatus of the fallen ex-president for the clashes. These had started a treacherous operation in which dozens of members of the army and police were killed. They were controlled from abroad, Khatab wrote on the online platform X. Thousands of people had gathered in Damascus and several other cities to demonstrate against the armed supporters al-assads.

Many people demanded that the armed attacks to be returned. According to the state news agency Sana, the security forces are primarily advanced along the Mediterranean coast, the core country of the Alawite minority. In the mountainous coastal region, armed groups with connections to the fallen predecessor are active.

Among others in the city of Dschabla about 25 kilometers south of Latakia, the capital of the province of the same name, there are said to have been severe battles. According to Sana, security forces in Latakia defended an attack on a hospital. For the city and the coastal city of Tartus, further south, initial blocks were imposed by Saturday morning.

According to an officer, the transitional government moved larger troops on Friday to the coastal region. The government troops used artillery shooters, tanks and rocket launchers. According to the observation center for human rights, at least 237 people have died in total.

Assad had ruled Syria for more than two decades. After a lightning offensive led by the Islamist group HTS at the end of last year, he fled to Russia. Since then, the new transitional government under the leadership of Al-Sharaa has been trying to restore security in the country and to boost the economy again. At the start of office, Al-Sharaa promised to involve all groups in the country in a process of political renewal and to respect human rights. He hopes to abolish western sanctions against Syria.