Scores of Syria Alawites killed as HTS sectarian violence continues

The forces of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) administration have killed at least 42 Alawites during the past two weeks, a month after the massacre of approximately 1,700 members of the religious minority in Syria's coastal areas.

The so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that since the end of Ramadan on March 30, 42 Syrian Alawites lost their lives due to sectarian violence, with incidents occurring from Latakia to Tartus and extending inland to Homs.

Rami Abdurrahman, the head of the SOHR, noted that while the scale of the violence has shifted to individual acts, the killings have not ceased. "The killings did not stop, but now they are individual acts," he stated, highlighting the persisting threat to the minority community.

Syria’s de-facto leader, former al-Qaeda in Iraq commander Abu Mohammad al-Julani has attempted to justify these brutal acts as "mistakes" occurring during a counterinsurgency operation against what his administration refers to as the "remnants” of the ousted Bashar al-Assad government.

However, Alawites in the affected areas express deep fear and confusion regarding this narrative, feeling increasingly isolated and targeted.

Adding to the community's distress, the Britain-based monitor group reported a troubling rise in enforced disappearances and kidnappings, with at least 17 women and minors reported missing in recent weeks.

Activists have also highlighted that even those opposed to the Assad government have not been spared. Mohammed Saleh, a former political prisoner, said that 18 of his Alawite friends who opposed Assad were also killed in last month’s attacks.

Saleh emphasized the dire need for an inclusive national army and security agencies that represent all sects and religions, stating, "There cannot be a state for everyone when security agencies belong to one sect."

Gunmen kill 12 civilians in western, central Syria on 1st day of Eid al-Fitr

A so-called war monitor group says militants have executed 12 civilians, mostly Alawites, in separate incidents in the coastal and central regions of Syria.

The violence escalated dramatically on March 7, when gunmen loyal to the ruling administration conducted a brutal campaign of executions, targeting Alawite civilians. Militants reportedly went door to door, killing 1,700 Alawite civilians, including women and children, amid continuing incidents of murder, kidnapping and robberies.

Several videos have surfaced on social media, captured by members of Syria's general security and directorate and HTS-led administration's Ministry of Defense, depicting the horrific execution of unarmed Alawite men during the period from March 7 to March 9, with some victims subjected to humiliating treatment before their deaths.

In response to the public outcry, the HTS leader established a fact-finding committee on March 9, tasked with identifying the perpetrators and delivering a report within a month. However, the deadline was extended for an additional three months on April 11, raising skepticism among local residents about the sincerity of the investigation.

As sectarian tensions continue to escalate, the Alawite community finds itself in a vulnerable situation, with nearly 30,000 members having fled to neighboring Lebanon in search of safety from ongoing violence.

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