Sun Mar 09 09:48:39 UTC 2025: ## Over 1,000 Dead in Syria as Revenge Killings Target Alawite Minority Following Assad’s Ouster
**Damascus, Syria** – A wave of deadly violence has engulfed Syria following the removal of Bashar al-Assad from power three months ago, leaving over 1,000 people dead and raising serious concerns about the fate of the Alawite community. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that at least 745 civilians, mostly Alawites, were shot at close range, along with 125 government security personnel and 148 Assad-affiliated militants. The clashes, which erupted Thursday, are the deadliest since the beginning of the Syrian conflict 14 years ago, and have left large parts of Latakia province without electricity and water.
The violence is primarily driven by revenge attacks against Alawites, who formed the backbone of Assad’s support base for over five decades. Sunni factions, reportedly loyal to the new government, are targeting Alawites in what eyewitnesses describe as massacres in towns like Baniyas. SOHR documented at least 162 Alawites executed by Syrian security forces in field executions in Latakia province, a stronghold of the Assad regime. The Syrian Interior Ministry has acknowledged some individual violations and vowed to take action.
The Alawite community, a religious minority comprising about 12% of Syria’s population, faces a precarious future. Reports detail harrowing scenes of gunmen executing civilians in the streets and homes, looting and burning properties, and forcing thousands to flee. One Alawite resident, Ali Sheha, described witnessing the murder of at least 20 people in his neighborhood, with gunmen checking IDs to identify Alawites before killing them.
The new Syrian government claims it is responding to attacks from Assad loyalists and downplays the killings as isolated incidents. However, the scale of the violence poses a major challenge to the new leadership and threatens the authority of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, the hardline Sunni faction instrumental in Assad’s removal.
France has expressed deep concern and strongly condemned the atrocities, urging the interim government to launch independent investigations into the mass killings. The international community is watching closely as Syria grapples with this latest surge in violence, threatening to further destabilize the already fragile nation.
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