Deadly Clashes Erupt in Syria’s Coastal Region, Over 70 Killed

Violent clashes between Syrian government forces and fighters loyal to ousted President Bashar Assad have escalated in Syria’s coastal region, claiming over 70 lives in a series of brutal attacks on Friday. The Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that pro-government gunmen stormed three Alawite villages—Sheer, Mukhtariyeh, and Haffah—near the Mediterranean coast, targeting men of the minority sect historically aligned with Assad’s regime. According to SOHR chief Rami Abdurrahman, the assailants “killed every man they encountered,” shooting dead 69 individuals while sparing women and children.

The Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV corroborated the carnage, noting that over 30 men were executed in Mukhtariyeh after being separated from their families, with additional killings in Sheer and Haffah. The attacks follow Thursday’s outbreak of fighting, which has now claimed 147 lives, marking the deadliest violence since Assad’s fall in December 2024 to Islamist-led rebels. The coastal region, a stronghold of the Alawite community, has become a flashpoint as Assad loyalists resist the new transitional government.

Syria’s state news agency, SANA, reported that the unrest began after pro-Assad forces killed policemen, prompting large crowds to flood coastal areas. An unnamed security official acknowledged “individual violations” amid the chaos, stating efforts were underway to curb further bloodshed. The government has deployed reinforcements to Latakia and Tartus to restore order, imposing curfews in these Alawite-dominated cities.

The surge in violence underscores the fragility of Syria’s post-Assad landscape. The new authorities, led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, have pledged to avoid sectarian vengeance, but the targeting of Alawites—once a privileged group under Assad—raises fears of reprisals. As the death toll climbs, the coastal clashes threaten to deepen communal divides, challenging the transitional government’s efforts to unify a nation scarred by over a decade of civil war.