Clashes erupted on Syria's Mediterranean coast in Latakia and Tartous on Sunday, resulting in at least four deaths and dozens of injuries, as Alawite protesters confronted counterdemonstrators. The violence followed a deadly bombing at an Alawite mosque in Homs two days earlier, which claimed eight lives and wounded 18 during prayers.

The mosque attack involved explosive devices planted inside the building, according to preliminary investigations, though no suspects have been publicly identified. A obscure group named Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility via Telegram, explicitly targeting Alawites, whom hard-line Islamists view as apostates due to their Shiite offshoot beliefs. Funerals for the victims were conducted on Saturday.

Protests were organized by Ghazal Ghazal, an Alawite sheikh based abroad leading the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora. Demonstrators voiced grievances over killings, marginalization, arbitrary arrests, job dismissals, and detentions of young Alawite men since Bashar Assad's ouster in December 2024. Security forces intervened by firing in the air, but failed to prevent rock-throwing, beatings, and a hand grenade attack on a Tartous police station.

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State media reported one security forces member killed by gunfire, two others wounded, and vehicles torched in Latakia. Hospital observations confirmed four fatalities: three from head injuries likely caused by stones, one from a chest gunshot. SANA news agency stated 60 individuals suffered from stabbings, stone impacts, and gunfire affecting both civilians and personnel.

Sectarian tensions have persisted since Assad's fall, ending 14 years of civil war, with prior waves including a March ambush by his loyalists that killed hundreds, mostly Alawites. Under the Assad regime, Alawites dominated government, military, and security roles. Officials condemned the mosque bombing and vowed accountability, but no arrests have been announced amid counterprotesters' accusations of efforts to incite chaos for personal gain.

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