The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 745 civilians were killed, mostly execution-style, along with 125 Syrian security personnel and 148 Assad loyalists. Estimates of the total death toll from the two days of fighting vary significantly, with some suggesting even higher numbers.
The violence ignited in the village of Beit Ana, located in the countryside south of Jableh in southern Latakia. On Thursday, gunmen ambushed a General Security patrol, killing 13 members of the new regime’s forces and wounding several others.
This large-scale, coordinated assault posed the most significant challenge yet to the country’s Islamist authorities and came three months after opposition forces, led by the Islamist rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, overthrew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
The clashes quickly escalated, spreading to towns and villages across the region as the provisional government’s forces battled militias and supporters of the old regime, who managed to seize several military positions.
The armed insurrection, primarily led by militiamen from the Alawite community—who make up 10% of the country’s population—coincided with the Thursday announcement of the Military Council for the Liberation of Syria. This newly formed council is commanded by Brigadier Ghaith Dalla, a former officer of the Syrian army’s 4th Division, originally from Jableh and known for his ties to Iran and Lebanon’s Hezbollah.
Reports in Syria of no fewer than 2,400 Alawite civilians being massacred in coastal cities by the armed forces of the new Syrian regime.
Preparations are underway in the Syrian coastal city of Banias for the mass burial of hundreds of those killed in the massacre carried out by… pic.twitter.com/TiO6ScS2zS
— Cheryl E ???????️ (@CherylWroteIt) March 8, 2025
On Thursday night, in response to an unprecedented security threat, the new authorities mobilized massive reinforcements, dispatching columns of vehicles carrying thousands of fighters from various regions, including Idlib and former rebel and jihadist strongholds in the north. These reinforcements, which arrived at dawn on Friday, were backed by armored vehicles, drones, and artillery fire, triggering intense battles that raged throughout the day in an atmosphere of chaos.
KATZ’S CALL
On Friday, Defense Minister Israel Katz declared that Israel “does not trust the new regime in Syria” and vowed to maintain a long-term presence in the region.
“We will stay there indefinitely; we will not abandon the Druze,” Katz stated.
He emphasized Israel’s firm stance against threats, saying, “We do not blink in the face of any threats—we handle matters properly. We know we must win, and I say—we will win. We have won before, and we will realize our victories. You see Syria—we have declared all of its south a demilitarized zone.”
Katz revealed that Israel had issued a warning to the Syrian regime against deploying forces in the south. “When they did not understand, we attacked—and we will attack again,” he asserted.
Referring to Syria’s transitional leadership, Katz remarked, “There is a new leader there who took off his jalabiya, put on a suit, and is shouting all kinds of slogans. In the last 24 hours, he has also taken off his mask and continues shouting.”
“We do not trust him or this entire regime,” Katz declared. “We trust the IDF and will strengthen our ties with our Druze brothers. We will not abandon the Druze.”
On Sunday, Syria’s transitional president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, described the unfolding events as “expected challenges” and urged national unity.
“We must safeguard national unity and domestic peace—we can live together,” he said in a video circulated by Arab media, speaking from a mosque in his childhood neighborhood of Mazzah in Damascus.
“Rest assured about Syria; this country possesses the resilience to endure … What is happening now is within the expected challenges.”
Footage circulating on social media shows Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) recruits subjecting Syrian civilians to humiliating abuse, forcing them to crawl and bark like dogs before carrying out brutal executions. Their campaign of terror continues, as fighters rampage through Alawite-majority neighborhoods, leaving devastation in their wake.
Footage circulating on social media shows Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants forcing Syrian civilians to crawl and bark like dogs before carrying out brutal exec-utions. Their campaign of terr-or continues, with fighters rampaging through Alawite-majority neighborhoods. pic.twitter.com/cUDB9OiVJX
— TMJ News Network (@tmjnewsnetwork) March 8, 2025
