Thu Mar 13 05:21:11 UTC 2025: ## Syria’s Mediterranean Coast Rocked by Mass Killings of Alawite Minority
**Beirut, March 13, 2025** – Mass killings targeting Syria’s Alawite minority have gripped the country’s Mediterranean coast, leaving hundreds dead in days of extreme violence. While authorities haven’t released official casualty figures, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights estimates at least 1,383 civilians, mostly Alawites, have been killed. Human Rights Watch confirms “hundreds” of deaths.
The violence erupted following the December ouster of former President Bashar al-Assad, with many Alawites fearing reprisals for his regime’s actions during the civil war. Interim President Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, leader of the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group that seized power, has pledged to investigate the killings and establish a fact-finding committee.
Horrific accounts from survivors and witnesses detail widespread atrocities. Entire families, including women and children, were targeted in attacks specifically targeting Alawite cities and villages. Perpetrators reportedly separated victims based on religious affiliation, executing Alawites while sparing Sunnis. Reports of mass graves and summary executions have also emerged.
While no single group has been definitively identified as responsible, the violence involved various factions. Human Rights Watch points to unidentified armed groups and individuals, many of whom entered the region from other parts of Syria following calls for mobilization. Fighters came from Idlib, the former HTS stronghold, and areas controlled by Turkish-backed groups. Researcher Cedric Labrousse indicates at least three armed factions were involved, including Syrian groups rejecting the new authorities, pro-Turkish factions, and foreign jihadists.
The attacks coincided with reports of coordinated assaults targeting government forces and buildings, resulting in the deaths of at least 231 security personnel, according to official figures. The Observatory puts the number of pro-Assad fighters killed at 250. These attacks followed the announcement by a former Assad-era general of a new “military council for the liberation of Syria.”
The Alawite community, comprising around 9% of Syria’s population, faces deep-seated sectarian tensions. Their overrepresentation in the Assad regime’s military and security forces during the civil war fueled resentment among Sunni groups. The international community is calling for accountability for the atrocities, with Human Rights Watch emphasizing the responsibility rests on all involved parties, including the HTS, now part of Syria’s security forces. The situation remains volatile, and the full extent of the violence is still unfolding.
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