At least 745 civilians from the Alawitic minority in Syria have been killed by security forces and allies for the past three days, according to the British -based Syrian Human Rights Observatory (SOHR).
“This is one of the biggest massacres in the Syrian conflict,” says Sohr Manager Rami Abdulrahman in a statement.
In addition, at least 273 additional persons have been killed in battles between security forces and supporters of the overthrown dictator Bashar al-Assad. The total death figure is thus up to 1,018 people since the violence began on Thursday.
According to SOHR, the 745 civil Alawites have been killed in the coastal region of “security forces and allied groups”.
Syrian forces have been sent to the cities of Latakia, Jableh and Baniyas on Saturday to restore the order, reports the state news agency Sana.
“Really, really bad”
Residents of Alawite villages along the coast say that people, mainly men, were shot in the streets or in their homes. Many homes must also have been looted and set on fire, according to the testimonies.
Thousands of people are said to have applied for safety up in the mountains.
It was really, really bad. Bodies lay in the streets, says a man, who has moved from Baniyas, to AP.
In a post on X all parties, the Red Cross urges all parties to allow rescue personnel and humanitarian aid to go into the coastal areas concerned to “provide medical care and transport of injured and dead”.
The development of events is described as the most serious since dictator Bashar al-Assad was allocated in December.
UN: Deeply concerned
Ahmed al-Sharaa, leader of the country’s interim board and the Islamist movement Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, called on a speech on Friday night al-Assad’s followers to close down the weapons-“before it’s too late”.
Bashar al-Assad belongs to the Shia Muslim minority group Alawiter, who is considered to have benefited from his rule.
The UN’s special envoy in Syria, Geir Pedersen, said on Friday that he is “deeply concerned” about the reports on battles and killing. Pedersen emphasizes in particular reports on civilian victims and calls for “restraint from all parties”.
Since Al-Assad’s case, 300,000 former refugees have returned to Syria, the UN refugee body UNHCR announced during Friday. In addition, 900,000 people who have been fleeing in the country have returned to their homes since the end of November.