Alawites targeted as HTS militants launch crackdown on Homs
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants have launched a crackdown on a minority group in Homs after recent protests against Syria's new rulers who seized power after the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad.
A security sweep was underway in the city on Thursday, with a so-called rights monitor saying the targets included "protest organizers" from the Alawite minority.
Authorities called "on the residents of the neighborhoods of Wadi al-Dhahab, Akrama not to go out to the streets, remain home, and fully cooperate with our forces”.
Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), said the two districts of Wadi al-Dhahab and Akrama in Homs are a majority-Alawite community.
The campaign, he said, aimed to search for those who organized or participated in the Alawite demonstrations last week, which the HTS considered as incitement against its authority.
Alawites are increasingly concerned about potential reprisals against their community, which stem from their status as a minority religious group and their historical ties to the al-Assad family.
Last Wednesday, thousands of people protested in several areas across Syria, including Latakia, Tartus, Homs, Hama and Qardaha, after a video circulated showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in the country’s north.
In another development last week, HTS militants raided the western province of Tartus, the Alawite heartland.
Earlier, hundreds of demonstrators protested in the Christian areas of Damascus against the burning of a Christmas tree by militants near Syria’s Hama.
The HTS administration, which led the onslaught that toppled Assad on December 8, has repeatedly claimed it would respect the beliefs and rights of all sects and religions in Syria.
The situation, however, remains shaky with a potential risk of further clashes as sectarian sentiments continue to rise, amid the ongoing political instability and pressures on minority groups.
Israel launches new strikes against Syrian defense facilities
Abductions, extra-judicial killings surge in Syria under HTS rule: Report
France admits launching missile strikes in Syria
IRGC deploying ‘new weaponry’ during underway Ground Force drills
VIDEO | Press TV's news headlines
Another key hospital taken out of service by Israel in north Gaza
Iran's top medical association urges ‘safe’ release of Gaza hospital’s director
Hezbollah chief: Gen. Soleimani was a leader on strategic, intellectual levels
Euro-Med warns Dr. Abu Safiya’s life in great danger due to torture
MP: Israel violating ceasefire agreement with Hezbollah to make up for defeats
From Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah to Hind Rajab, biggest newsmakers of 2024
PressTV NEWSLETTER
now
This makes it easy to access the Press TV website
