Wed Dec 25 20:35:00 UTC 2024: ## Post-Assad Syria Sees Fresh Violence as Reconstruction Begins
**DAMASCUS, Syria –** Two Islamist fighters were killed and others wounded in clashes Wednesday in Syria’s capital, Damascus, between factions of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, which ousted President Bashar al-Assad earlier this month. The details surrounding the conflict remain unclear, but the incident highlights the ongoing instability following Assad’s fall.
The relatively smooth transition of power has been marred by escalating sectarian tensions. Dozens of Alawites, a minority sect to which Assad belongs, have been killed in revenge attacks since his departure. Protests erupted in Damascus and other Alawite communities, with some demanding the release of former Syrian soldiers imprisoned by the HTS. These protests were reportedly fueled by an online video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine, although interim authorities claim the video is old.
While sectarian violence has flared since Assad’s ouster, it hasn’t reached the scale feared after the 14-year civil war. However, the ongoing instability is a concern as Syrians begin returning to their homes in areas like Idlib, finding widespread destruction and facing the daunting task of rebuilding their lives. One displaced woman, Hajjah Zakia Daemessaid, described the bittersweet experience of returning to find her family home destroyed after decades of saving to build it.
Meanwhile, in Damascus, interim authorities seized and burned a large cache of drugs, including Captagon pills and cannabis, previously linked to Assad’s forces.
The situation remains volatile as Syria grapples with the aftermath of the war and the challenges of establishing a new government under the HTS, an Islamist group with a history linked to al-Qaeda. The long-term implications of this power shift and the potential for further violence remain uncertain.
First Piper 