DAMASCUS, Syria: Syria’s Defence Ministry on Monday announced the completion of a major military operation against the loyalists of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.
“Our forces successfully neutralised security cells and remnants of the former regime in the towns of Al Mukhtareyah, Muzayraa, and Al-Zubar in Latakia, as well as Ad Dali, Ta’nita, and Al Qadmus in Tartus, thwarting threats and securing the area,” ministry spokesperson Hassan Abdul Ghani said in statements carried by the state news agency SANA.
He said public institutions are now able “to resume operations and provide essential services to our citizens, paving the way for a return to normal life and reinforcing security and stability.”
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that nearly 1,500 people have lost their lives in the violence since Thursday, with the majority being civilians.
Most of the deaths were attributed to security forces and allied groups operating in the Alawite minority region, to which deposed president Bashar al-Assad belongs.
“Having achieved this, we announce the end of the military operation,” Abdul Ghani said. He hailed the success of the forces in achieving all the objectives set for the operation.
“We were able… to absorb the attacks of the remnants of the toppled regime and its officers” and push them from “vital” locations, Abdul Ghani said.
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 government and pledged to reunify the war-torn country.
Clashes broke out last week between the security forces and gunmen loyal to Assad, with the Observatory reporting 231 security personnel and 250 pro-Assad fighters killed.
Including at least 973 civilians, many of them Alawites, killed by the security forces and allied forces, the overall death toll according to the Observatory reached 1,454.
Abdul Ghani said that “the security apparatuses will work in the upcoming phase to consolidate our work to ensure stability and preserve residents’ safety and security”.
Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday vowed to hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians.
“There will be no one above the law and anyone whose hands have been stained with the blood of Syrians will face justice sooner or later,” he said.
