Syria’s new rulers have begun implementing security measures as tensions rise
Syria’s new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in the coastal region where 14 policemen were killed a day earlier, vowing to pursue “remnants” of the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad blamed for the attack.
The violence in Tartus province, part of the coastal region home to many members of Assad’s Alawite sect, has been the deadliest challenge yet to the Sunni Islamist-led authorities who ousted him on December 8.
Members of the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shiite Islam, have wielded considerable influence over Assad’s security forces against opponents during Syria’s 13-year civil war and his police’s decades-long bloody crackdown on dissent. state.
State news agency SANA reported that security forces launched the Tartous operation “to monitor security, stability and civil peace and pursue the remnants of Assad’s militants in the forests and hills.”
The transitional administration said on Thursday that 14 Syrian police officers were killed in western Syria by forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad. The new Syrian interior minister said in Telegram that 10 police officers, whom he called the “remnants” of the Assad government, were injured in Tartus.
The crackdown came as Damascus officials warned of an attempt to incite sectarian conflict after a video showing a fire at an Alawite shrine in Aleppo circulated on social media in late November. The Interior Ministry said the violence was perpetrated by unknown groups and that its forces were working “round the clock” to protect religious sites.
Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), the former al-Qaeda affiliate that led the rebel campaign to topple Assad, has repeatedly vowed to defend minority groups who fear the new rulers may try to impose an Islamist government. Many members of minority groups, including Christians, are concerned.
Intersectarian violence is reported in Damascus
In a predominantly Alevi neighborhood of Damascus, Alevi Sheikh Ali Darir said that despite HTS’s promise to respect the sect, houses were destroyed and people were beaten because of their religious identity. He blamed the “third party” who tried to create discord.
Dareer told Reuters that the community had reached out to the new government, but there were “a lot of violations,” citing multiple accounts of people being beaten at a checkpoint.
An HTS fighter in the region said on Thursday that Alevis were beaten off a bus because of their religion, but denied that HTS was responsible.
“It’s a matter of sedition and we don’t want to get dragged into it,” Dareer said.
“Thousands of people are full of resentment and anxiety, their dignity is insulted. “However, we must stick to peace.”
38-year-old Taher Davva of Alawite origin, who was a military volunteer during the Assad regime, said that “the burden of all mistakes” should not be placed on one sect. “We don’t want to be divided.”
Syria’s war has taken on a sectarian dimension as Shiite militias in the Middle East, mobilized by Assad’s ally Iran, battle an insurgency dominated by Sunni Muslims.
The protestors emphasized inter-sectarian tension and chanted “Ya Ali!” they shouted slogans. Images posted on social media on Wednesday showed the rally outside the local government headquarters in Tartous.
This hymn was a reference to Ali ibn Abi Talib, a cousin of the Prophet Muhammad, who was revered by Muslims but especially highly regarded by Alawites and Shiites who believed that Ali and his descendants should lead Islamic society.
Civil peace
Mohammad Osman, the newly appointed governor of the coastal Latakia region adjacent to Tartus, met with Alawite sheikhs to “promote community unity and civil peace,” SANA reported.
Syria’s information ministry banned what it described as “the circulation or publication of any media content or news aimed at spreading divisions.”
Iran, a long-time Shiite regional ally of Assad, has criticized the course of events in Syria in recent days.
On Sunday, Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to “stand firmly against those who organize and create this security.”
Khamenei called the country dangerous, predicting that “a strong and honorable group will emerge in Syria as well, because the Syrian youth today have nothing to lose.”
Syria’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Asad Hassan al-Shibani said on Tuesday: Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and Syria’s sovereignty and security.
“We dissuade them from spreading chaos in Syria and hold them accountable for the results of the latest statements,” he said.
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