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'They left nobody': More than 1,000 people killed in some of Syria's deadliest violence

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, 745 civilians, 125 government security force members and 148 militants with armed groups affiliated with Assad have been killed.

Sunday 9 March 2025 17:51, UK

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More than 1,000 people have died in clashes in Syria after violence erupted between government supporters and people thought to be loyal to the ousted President Bashar al Assad.

The number of deaths reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) makes the two days of violence some of the deadliest since Syria's conflict began 14 years ago, according to the group.

The government said it is responding to attacks from remnants of Assad's forces and blamed "individual actions" for the violence.

Some 745 civilians were killed, mostly in massacres, as well as 148 pro-Assad fighters and 125 people from security forces, according to the British-based SOHR.

No official figures have been released.

Syrian leader Ahmed al Sharaa called for peace on Sunday as clashes continued between forces linked to the new Islamist rulers and fighters from Assad's Alawite sect.

"We have to preserve national unity and domestic peace, we can live together," he said.

"Rest assured about Syria, this country has the characteristics for survival.

"What is currently happening in Syria is within the expected challenges," added the interim president.

Who are the Alawites?

The Alawites are a religious minority in Syria, originating from Shia Islam. The overthrown president Bashar al Assad belonged to the sect.

They make up around 10% of Syria's population, which is majority Sunni, and mainly live in the country's coastal regions.

During Assad's reign, the Alawites made up a large part of his support base and held top posts in the army and security agencies.

Since his fall from power, many Alawites were fired from their jobs and some former soldiers who reconciled with the new authorities were killed.

Civilians have now been targeted in revenge killings by Sunni Muslim militants loyal to the new government, who have blamed Assad's loyalists for attacks against the country's new security forces in recent weeks.

The Alawites, along with Syria's other minority communities including Kurds, Christians and Druze, have said they are concerned about revenge attacks and are not convinced by the new government's promise of an inclusive country.

SOHR said the violence erupted on Thursday afternoon when pro-Assad militants ambushed Syrian security forces in the Latakia region, a former stronghold of the deposed leader where many of the minority Alawites, who made up his support base, live.

On Friday, Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government began revenge killings against members of Assad's minority Alawite sect, according to people in the region.

"They forcibly brought people down to the streets, then they lined them up and started shooting them," said one resident of Baniyasin on the west coast of Syria.

"They left nobody. They left nobody at all. The scene that I saw was pure horror; it's just indescribable," he said.

The man, who Sky News is not naming for his safety, described women being forced to "walk naked" before being shot and a teenage boy being handed a rifle and forced to shoot his family.

He said he hid in a bin before escaping under the cover of night.

"The victims of this massacre were all civilians - just civilians and not Assad loyalists," said the man.

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Other residents from Alawite communities told the Associated Press news agency about gunmen shooting Alawites, the majority of them men, in the streets or at the gates of their homes.

Many homes were looted and then set on fire, two residents of Syria's coastal region told the AP from their hideouts.

The revenge killings stopped early on Saturday, according to SOHR's founder Rami Abdurrahman.

"This was one of the biggest massacres during the Syrian conflict," Mr Abdurrahman said about the killings of Alawite civilians.

Syria's state news agency said all roads leading to the coastal region have been closed "to prevent violations and gradually restore stability".

According to SOHR, electricity and drinking water were cut off in large areas around the city of Latakia.

An unnamed official from Syria's defence ministry was quoted by the news agency as saying government forces have regained control of much of the areas from Assad loyalists.

The bodies of 31 people killed in revenge attacks, including nine children and four women, the day before in the village of Tuwaym, were laid to rest in a mass grave, residents said.

A funeral was held for four Syrian security force members in the northwestern village of Al Janoudiya.

The previous figure given by SOHR was more than 200 dead.

Related Topics

Syria