The conflict in Syria took a gruesome turn as reports emerged on Sunday of a large-scale massacre of Alawites in northern Syria. Witnesses and analysts describe an ongoing campaign of ethnic cleansing, with the Alawite minority being targeted in what some are calling a genocide.
Islamists aligned with Syria’s interim government massacred hundreds of ethnic Alawites after members of that minority attacked security forces loyal to the interim government in the Latakia province. The Assad family, which ruled Syria from 1971-2024 are Alawites, an ethnic minority who make up 12% of Syria’s population. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 745 unarmed Alawite civilians have been killed, along with 150 armed Alawites and 125 members of the newly established Syrian regime.
“Under the guise of harming the remnants of the regime loyal to Assad, a genocide is now taking place, a horrific massacre of Alawites in northern Syria, in the coastal mountains, in Thaqiya and Tartus,” a Syrian journalist told The Press Service of Israel. The journalist fearing for his safety, insisted he not be named.
“After the massacre of the Muslim Brotherhood and the massacre of the Sunnis, it is now the turn of the Shiite Alawites to be slaughtered,” he insisted. He was referring to the Hama massacre when Syrian forces loyal to President Hafez Assad killed between 5,000-40,000 people in February 1982 to put down a Muslim Brotherhood uprising. The massacres were carried out by Alawite militias commanded by the president’s brother, Rifaat Assad.
In response to the escalating crisis, the regime of Ahmed al-Sharaa dispatched reinforcements to the coastal cities of Tartus, Latakia, and Banias. Military operations are reportedly being coordinated from Idlib, the stronghold of the new Syrian government, which was once dominated by jihadist factions.
While officials claim they are targeting Assad loyalists who have engaged in attacks on security forces and hospitals, the Syrian journalist disputed this.
“This is far from it. They are carrying out genocide and ethnic cleansing, mainly of the Alawite minority, and all on a sectarian and religious basis,” he insisted to TPS-IL.
Video footage posted by members of the new regime appears to corroborate his claims. One video showed Alawites being forced to bark at dogs. In others, victims are executed in front of the cameras after being spat upon and insulted with derogatory terms such as “pigs and Shi’ite dogs.”
The violence has been further exacerbated by local militias and foreign fighters.
“Among those who participated in the massacre were Chechens, Uzbeks, and Asians who joined the residents of Idlib and the loyalists of Julani [Sharaa],” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. Looting has been widespread, with homes ransacked and families unable to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones from the streets.
The scale of the brutality has forced the new regime to take some action, with an announcement that military courts will try any soldiers who disobey orders and target civilians. The head of Syria’s General Intelligence Service confirmed on social media that the regime has instructed its forces to exercise self-restraint and proper conduct. But despite the statements, the violence continued. Abdel Rahman pointed to the central government in Damascus, stating, “The blame lies with the central government, which called for jihad and mobilization as a weapon.”
Adding to the instability is the dismissal of 170,000 soldiers from the Syrian security forces since Sharaa took power. Many of these former soldiers have now aligned themselves with armed groups and militias, while criminal elements, including drug cartels, have also become involved.
“Even the dozens of Captagon gangs in Syria are not helping to calm things down,” the Syrian journalist told TPS-IL. “These people are trying to maintain their territory at all costs and are participating in the horrific murders.”
As the Alawite population attempts to flee, many have sought protection at the Russian military base in Hamiyim near Tartus, only to be turned away. “They were asked to turn to the Turks, who are emerging as the new landlords of Julani’s Syria instead of Russia,” the Syrian journalist explained.
Feeling abandoned by the international community, he expressed a rare sentiment: “Only Israel stands by us. The whole world is giving up on us because we’re a catapult. Only Israel stands by us— on the side of the Druze, the Kurds, and the Alawites.”
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called for the demilitarization of southern Syria and protection for its Druze community on Feb. 23. An estimated 700,000-800,000 Druze live in Syria, mostly in southwestern areas near Israel and Jordan. They make up around four percent of the Syrian population. Analysts and Israeli Druze recently told TPS-IL that Netanyahu’s remarks were a major shift in Israeli policy.
The Alawites live in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus along Syria’s northern coast. Israel has not explicitly commented on protecting other minorities beyond southern Syria.
Meanwhile, Lt.-Gen. Eyal Zamir visited Israeli soldiers stationed in the demilitarized zone along the Israel-Syria border on Sunday. It was first visit since taking over as Chief of Staff of the Israel Defense Forces.
Israel sent forces into the 235 sq km buffer zone to prevent Syrian rebels from approaching the border when the regime of Bashar Assad collapsed in December. Israel also launched waves of airstrikes on Syrian army assets and Iranian stockpiles to prevent them from falling into the hands of radical Islamists. Israel considers the 1974 ceasefire agreement with Syria void until order is restored in Syria. Defense Minister Israel Katz said troops will remain in the buffer zone indefinitely.
