Sun Mar 09 14:34:00 UTC 2025: ## Alawite Massacre in Syria’s Coastal Region: Hundreds Killed Amidst Post-Coup Violence

**BEIRUT, LEBANON** – The Alawite heartland of Syria is reeling from a brutal wave of violence following the overthrow of President Bashar al-Assad in December. Hundreds of Alawite civilians have been killed in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reports at least 745 deaths.

Witnesses describe scenes of horrific violence, with armed groups targeting Alawites in their homes and on the streets. Rihab Kamel, a 35-year-old mother from Baniyas, recounted hiding with her family for two days in their bathroom as armed men rampaged through their neighborhood. Upon escaping, they found the streets littered with corpses and fled to Lebanon with the help of a Christian family. “What crime did the children commit?” she asked, highlighting the indiscriminate nature of the violence.

Similar accounts emerged from other areas. Samir Haidar, a 67-year-old Alawite from Baniyas, reported the deaths of two brothers and a nephew, killed by armed groups who entered their homes. He narrowly escaped death himself, fleeing to a Sunni neighborhood just minutes before his home was attacked. He described seeing multiple houses with several dead bodies inside. Residents in Latakia reported abductions and killings, including the murder of Yasser Sabbouh, head of a state-run cultural center.

In Jableh, a resident described living in terror under armed group control, with no electricity, water, or food, and fearing to leave their home. He reported the deaths of over 50 family and friends and the mass burial of bodies.

The interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has called for national unity and peace, but these calls are overshadowed by the widespread violence and the fear of reprisals against the Alawite community, which has long been associated with the Assad regime. Many Alawites, like Jaafar Ali, a 32-year-old who fled to Lebanon, are now seeking refuge abroad, pleading for international assistance and humanitarian migration channels. The situation paints a grim picture of sectarian violence and the precarious situation of Syria’s minority populations in the aftermath of the coup.

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