DAMASCUS: More than 300 people have been killed in recent days in clashes between Syrian government forces and loyalists of former President Bashar al-Assad in the coastal Latakia province, a war monitor reported on Saturday.
According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), at least 311 people have died since Thursday, bringing the total death toll to 524, including 213 security personnel and militants.
The Observatory stated that violence erupted when Syrian government forces attempted to arrest a wanted individual near the coastal city of Jableh, leading to an ambush by Assad loyalists.
The fighting has been described as the deadliest since the fall of Assad’s government in early December, when a coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled his regime and pledged to reunify the war-torn country.
The new Syrian government has accused remnants of Assad’s forces of instigating attacks on security personnel in recent weeks.
Local sources told Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV that fierce clashes have occurred in at least three villages, with over 30 people killed in Mukhtariyeh alone.
The Observatory also reported that 60 people, including women and children, were killed in the town of Baniyas.
Syrian state news agency SANA quoted an unnamed security official who stated that a significant number of people had travelled to the coast seeking vengeance for recent attacks on security forces.
The official acknowledged “some individual violations” but said authorities were “working to prevent further escalation.”
President Ahmad al-Sharaa, in a televised statement, called on Assad loyalists to surrender their weapons and urged government forces to avoid harming civilians or mistreating prisoners.
“When we compromise our ethics, we reduce ourselves to the same level as our enemy,” Sharaa said. “The remnants of the fallen regime are looking for provocation to justify their actions and regain lost ground.”
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In response to the attacks, Syrian security forces deployed thousands of troops to north-western Syria, launching airstrikes using helicopter gunships, drones, and artillery against Assad loyalists, SOHR reported.
Overnight, government reinforcements arrived in Latakia and Tartus, areas that have traditionally been strongholds of Assad’s support. A curfew remains in effect in several coastal towns as security operations continue.
