Many were reportedly killed on Friday as members of the government’s security forces clash with the loyalty of President Bashar al-Assad, who had resigned on the second day, clashed with the most violent episode for the country’s new leader since the collapse of the government.
Syrian officials said the clash began on Thursday. Gunmen attacked national security forces and killed the first 13 people in the Latakian coastal province as they called for a “uprising” at former Assad’s base.
More people were killed as the nightly battle continued, including an unknown number of civilians, according to Latakian officials. Damascus sent heavy reinforcements.
The Syrian Human Rights Observatory, a war monitor, said on Saturday that more than 200 people have been killed since the outbreak of the battle.
Dozens more were killed in the obvious revenge attack in the village, Saur said. Syrian authorities issued no death toll.
Sohre also said government forces responded by storming three villages near the coast, killing “dozens of men.”
Al Mayaden, a Lebanese pro-Assad broadcaster, reported attacks on three villages, saying that more than 30 men were killed by Mukhtarye alone.
Videos have been circulating on social media showing dozens of men piled up bloodied on the streets, allegedly filmed Friday morning.
The exact number of deaths remained unknown, and the Financial Times were unable to independently verify Sohr’s numbers and videos.
Some Alawian residents of the coastal cities of Banyas and Latakia said they either evacuated at home or fled for fear of a revenge attack, with steady gunfire and artillery fires heard nearby.
In his first comment since the clash occurred, Syrian President Ahmed Arshala said he would pursue the “remnants” of the regime, which had been abdicated by government forces, and put them on trial, adding that those who assaulted civilians would be held responsible.
“We will continue to pursue the remains of the fallen regime. We will take them to a fair court and continue to restrict weapons to the states. And loose weapons will not remain in Syria,” Shara said in a recorded speech.
The escalation raises one of the most serious threats to Syrian transitional government, set up in December after Muslim rebels led by Shara defeated the Assad regime in a lightning strike.
Sharaa then took over and dismantled security forces, including the Army and police, and left a patchwork of Allied rebel factions who fought the government for nearly 14 years.
They struggle to control the coast where many members of the same Alawian minority as Assad belongs to them. Alawian gunmen have been making sporadic attacks on state security forces, but dozens of Alawians have been killed in recent months.
This week’s fight has destabilized vulnerable peace and threatened to plunge the country into a cycle of even more sectarian violence.
A group called the Military Council for Syria’s Liberation has issued a statement on Thursday that vows to overthrow the government. The group’s setup was announced and was posted around the time of the attack. It is led by the former commander of the brutal 4th Division of Assad Army, once led by Bashar’s brother Mahar.
The group said the “jihadist” regime failed to protect its citizens, exacerbating economic and security conditions to new lows. “We assure people that we do not seek power and that our only goal is to free Syria,” the statement said.
The Ministry of Defense sent fighters loyal to Hayat Taharir Al-Sham, a group of Shalas who now run the state, to go to the coast to counter the attack. Some have posted videos of themselves who have vowed to accurately venge and kill “pigs,” a dimly term referring to Alawians.
By Friday afternoon, government forces had “achieved rapid on-site progress and reimposed control of the region,” according to a spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.
Curfews were declared in Thalasia and Latakia, with security forces carrying comb operations in the cities and nearby mountains.
A resident of Banyas said he saw dozens of bodies on the street near his home. Thor said at least 60 people were killed there, including women and children. “It’s a complete genocide. He gave his name only as Abu Ahmad for fear of retribution, and was too afraid to see if I knew the dead,” he said.
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Sheikh Shabang Mansoor, a prominent Alawian clergyman, was killed along with his son in the town of Salhab, Hama, near Latakia. Arawet activists have accused government forces of killing him online. FT could not confirm the claim.
Government officials suggested they were struggling to contain the revenge attack, and the massive crowd headed to the coast to ensure their revenge for attacks on the national army.
An unknown official was quoted by the state news agency Sana for saying their actions “has led to several individual violations and we are working to stop them.”
There was tension and calm in Damascus, where security forces patrolled the streets to maintain order in the Alawian neighborhoods surrounding the capital.
Hundreds of Syrians have demonstrated support for the government in the capital and other major cities.
