Syrian security forces battled for a second day on Friday against a nascent insurgency by fighters from Bashar al-Assad’s Alawite sect, with scores reported killed, as the Islamist-led government faced the biggest challenge yet to its authority.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that almost 200 people had been killed in two days of violence in the coastal region of western Syria, which is heavily populated by the members of the Alawite minority.
They included at least two dozen male residents of the Alawite town of Al Mukhtareyah killed by gunmen on Friday.
Syrian authorities said the violence began when remnants loyal to Assad – the leader who was ousted three months ago – launched a deadly and well-planned attack on their forces on Thursday.
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The violence has shaken interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa’s efforts to consolidate control as his administration struggles to get US sanctions lifted and grapples with wider security challenges, notably in the southwest, where Israel has said it will prevent Damascus from deploying forces.
A source in Syria told the BBC on Friday that the ruling Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) security forces have sparked clashes by carrying out search-and-arrest operations among members of the minority Alawite community to which the Assads belong.
The Supreme Alawite Islamic Council has urged an end to the air campaign in the Latakia region. Demonstrations were staged in Tartus to back up the council’s call.
Alawite families and individuals in Latakia and Tartus have been attacked by anti-Assad gunmen despite HTS’s efforts to discourage retaliation for 54 years of Assad rule.
Insecurity has impaired efforts of the HTS government to revive the Syrian economy, which has been devastated by civil conflict and US and European sanctions.
While the US, Britain and the European Union have eased restrictions, Syria remains in the tight grip of the comprehensive sanctions regime. By retaining key sanctions, they argue pressure can be exerted on the new government to respect minority and women’s rights and reconstruct and redevelop the country,
The United Nations Development Programme reported last month that the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen to less than half of its value before the war. Nearly 25 per cent of Syrians are jobless. The poverty rate has risen from 33 per cent to 90 per cent.
One-third of housing units have been damaged or destroyed, leaving 5.7 million homeless. As 70 per cent of power plants and lines have been damaged, electricity outages are frequent.
The World Food Programme has started an emergency appeal for donations during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan to aid 50 per cent of Syrians “in the grip of hunger”. – Additional reporting: Reuters
