A member of the Syrian security forces stands guard at a roundabout in Latakia, on the Syrian coast, on March 9, 2025. (Photo provided by the Telegram channel of the Syrian news agency SANA/AFP)
Three months after overthrowing the Assad regime, Ahmad al-Sharaa finds himself surrounded. On one side, the insurrection launched Thursday night by pro-Assad regime fighters, and on the other, massacres of several hundred civilians, mostly Alawites, committed by forces fighting under his name.Having repeatedly called for peaceful coexistence and the protection of minorities in the country since taking power in Damascus, the interim president is keen to counter the wave of anger spreading among those same groups he swore would not come under attack, while the international community echoes their outrage at the events.But a major challenge awaits him. In recent hours, numerous videos showing men in military uniforms opening fire on Alawite civilians — the minority from which the ousted president Bashar al-Assad belongs — have been...
Three months after overthrowing the Assad regime, Ahmad al-Sharaa finds himself surrounded. On one side, the insurrection launched Thursday night by pro-Assad regime fighters, and on the other, massacres of several hundred civilians, mostly Alawites, committed by forces fighting under his name.Having repeatedly called for peaceful coexistence and the protection of minorities in the country since taking power in Damascus, the interim president is keen to counter the wave of anger spreading among those same groups he swore would not come under attack, while the international community echoes their outrage at the events.But a major challenge awaits him. In recent hours, numerous videos showing men in military uniforms opening fire on Alawite civilians — the minority from which the ousted president Bashar al-Assad belongs — have been...