Latest news with #Alawites
New York Times
11-06-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
A Syrian Committee for Civil Peace Angers Those Demanding Justice
It was established by Syria's fledgling government to restore calm in a country fractured by roughly 14 years of civil war. Instead, the Committee for Civil Peace has become a source of national strife. Discontent is simmering among some Syrians who supported the uprising against the country's ousted dictator, Bashar al-Assad. They now accuse the rebel leaders who toppled him of empowering a committee set up to ease internal divisions at the expense of holding remnants of the old regime to account. Public outrage exploded during the Muslim feast of Eid al-Adha in early June when the committee released dozens of former regime soldiers, saying they were not implicated in any crimes. Now critics are calling for protests. 'What everyone has been waiting for since Assad's fall is to see the punishment of those who committed war crimes, to see transitional justice take place,' said Rami Abdelhaq, an activist who supported the anti-Assad revolt. 'Instead, we are shocked to discover there's a release of many people.' The peace committee was formed in the wake of the large-scale killings of minority Alawites, the sect to which Mr. al-Assad belongs. While in power, the president had made Alawites the backbone of his military forces, which fought to crush the rebellion underpinned by the Sunni Muslim majority. After a foiled counterinsurgency in March by former regime soldiers in a region along the Mediterranean coast, armed government supporters killed hundreds of Alawite civilians, according to human rights groups. Want all of The Times? Subscribe.
Gulf Insider
11-06-2025
- Politics
- Gulf Insider
Nearly 8,000 Killed In Syria Within Six Months: Monitor
At least 7,670 people, mainly civilians, have been killed in Syria since the fall of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government and the establishment of a new transitional authority, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) has documented in a new report. According to the war monitor, the number includes more than 2,130 'extrajudicial executions' and 'identity-based killings.' It warned of a 'pattern of organized violence' across the country. The SOHR report documents 'the killing of 7,670 people across Syria from 8 December 2024 to 6 June 2025,' adding that among those killed are '5,784 civilians, including 306 children and 422 women.' SOHR warned that 'this grim toll is a result of ongoing violence and violations by local and external parties, alongside widespread security chaos,' which reflects 'the fragility of the security situation and the increasing danger to the most vulnerable constituents of society.' The over 2,130 executions were 'committed in brutal ways.' In March this year, Syrian government forces carried out a series of brutal massacres targeting Alawite civilians on the Syrian coast. Damascus said it would launch a probe, the results of which have not been made clear. SOHR says '1,726 liquidations' were recorded during the March massacres against Alawites. Unofficial estimates at the time said the number could be way higher, possibly several thousand. The killings were carried out in response to an armed uprising against security forces launched by elements of the former government's armed forces. The UK-based monitor went on to say that since the collapse of the Assad government, 1,886 non-civilian combatants have been killed, including 496 members of the Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries. Additionally, 627 members of various armed factions, many linked to the new authorities in Damascus, were also among those killed. Over 250 members of the US-backed Kurdish militia, the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF), have been killed as well, according to SOHR. SOHR notes that 75 percent of all the deaths are civilians. The new Syrian army is dominated by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a former Al-Qaeda branch with a history of war crimes and violent, sectarian ideology. Several other extremist factions, including notorious groups such as Jaish al-Islam, have been incorporated into Damascus's forces as well. Alawites continue to be targeted by Syria's military and groups under its command. In the last five days, at least 18 Alawites have been killed in a new wave of violence targeting the minority group. Meanwhile, the country faces a widespread Israeli occupation and regular bombardment. The new SOHR report comes as Syria is being pulled out of years of isolation – with the US, UK, and EU taking steps to lift the sanctions on the country, which had been imposed for 14 years. Julani's terror army is distributing flyers in rural villages of western Homs that say: 'We are coming to slaughter you, O Alawites. Leave your villages.' — Kevork Almassian (@KevorkAlmassian) June 9, 2025 The EU is set to provide Syria with nearly $200 million (€175 million) to boost reconstruction, the health sector, agriculture, and the country's economy, EU Commissioner for the Mediterranean Dubravka Suica announced while visiting Damascus on 4 June. Syria's President Ahmad al-Sharaa – a former Al-Qaeda and ISIS chief who went by the nom de guerre Abu Mohammad al-Julani – has met with world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron and US President Donald Trump.
BBC News
06-06-2025
- Health
- BBC News
The Documentary Podcast The future of the Alawites
In the wake of the Assad regime's fall in Syria, thousands of Alawites, a minority Shia sect historically linked to the former regime, have fled to Lebanon. They are seeking refuge from discrimination and sectarian violence that has left over 1,000 civilians dead, including women and children. The late Hafez al-Assad, Bashar's father, became the most powerful Alawite when he seized control of Syria in a coup in 1970. Under the rule of Hafez al-Assad and then his son Bashar - the ruling Assad's recruited heavily from the Alawite community placing them in top posts in state, security and intelligence branches. Syria's new President Ahmed al-Sharaa, promised to protect Syria's minorities, but has struggled to contain a wave of violence directed towards the Alawite community. Emily Wither travels to the northern Lebanese city of Tripoli to meet with Syrian Alawite refugees and a new youth movement. This episode of The Documentary, comes to you from Heart and Soul, exploring personal approaches to spirituality from around the world.
Shafaq News
06-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
Syrian Observatory: Three Alawites killed, homes burned in Latakia raids
Shafaq News/ Syrian security forces killed three Alawite men and set fire to homes and vehicles during a violent raid Wednesday night on two villages in the western province of Latakia, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Thursday. The Observatory described a wave of 'widespread security chaos' that erupted after sudden assaults by General Security units on the villages of Bayt Aana and Al-Daliya, located in the Jableh countryside. In Bayt Aana, security personnel reportedly torched dozens of homes, a school, a commercial center, and a sports club. Two young men — one of them with special needs — were shot dead during the operation. A third body, belonging to a man from the nearby village of Batmoush, was later discovered with a gunshot wound, likely also killed during the raid. In Al-Daliya, forces burned three homes and detained several young men. Authorities in Latakia confirmed a 'security operation' had taken place, claiming it targeted individuals involved in an attack on a telecommunications center in Al-Daliya. Officials announced the arrest of 'many of those responsible.' The raids came just one day after eight Alawites were gunned down at a security checkpoint in Hama, following the earlier discovery of five corpses near Damascus, the Observatory reported. Since the overthrow of former President Bashar al-Assad late last year, attacks on religious minorities — including Alawites, the sect to which Assad belonged — have posed a growing challenge to the new leadership, despite its promises to safeguard all communities. In March alone, over 1,700 people, most of them Alawites, were killed in violent outbreaks along the coast. Authorities blamed pro-Assad loyalists for igniting the bloodshed by launching deadly ambushes on security personnel.
Shafaq News
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
7 Alawites missing in Damascus amid rising tensions
Shafaq News/ Seven Syrian citizens from the Alawite community have disappeared in Damascus, stirring concerns over their fate and casting a fresh spotlight on the challenges faced by Syria's Alawite minority since the fall of Bashar al-Assad's regime. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on Sunday that the missing individuals were last seen returning from work at a restaurant in Qasioun Mall, Barzeh district. Activists reported losing contact with them around 3 a.m. when their daily transport vehicle entered Ash al-Warwar neighborhood, an Alawite stronghold in the capital. Later that morning, the vehicle was found abandoned near the Police Hospital along the international highway, with no trace of them. Since al-Assad's ouster, Syria's Alawite community has faced intensified violence, political marginalization, and economic decline. The Alawites, once a pillar of al-Assad's security apparatus, have found themselves vulnerable to retribution and systemic challenges. Reports indicate that more than 1,383 Alawite civilians have been killed in retaliatory attacks since the regime's collapse. Thousands more have fled traditional strongholds in Latakia and Tartus, fearing reprisals from armed opposition groups. Alawite religious sites have also been targeted, including the torching of the revered shrine of al-Khasibi in Aleppo, sparking protests in Alawite-majority areas.
