Security agents at the back of a vehicle traveling on a road in the city of Latakia, in the west of Syria, on March 9, 2025. (Credit: Omar Haj Kadour/AFP)
The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on Monday the successful conclusion of the military operation in the west of the country, where fighting with loyalists of the deposed regime and mass executions of civilians have resulted in hundreds of deaths since Thursday.
"We announce the end of the military operation (..) after the success of our forces in achieving all the objectives set," said the ministry's spokesperson, Hassan Abdel Ghani, as quoted by the official Sana agency. The violence is the most severe in Syria since the coalition led by Islamists took power on December 8, ousting President Bashar al-Assad. They were triggered by a bloody attack on March 6 by supporters of the deposed regime against security forces in the Latakia region, where the Alawite minority, from which the Assad clan originates, is concentrated.
The fighting has resulted in nearly 500 deaths on both sides, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). But nearly 1,000 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed in summary executions and "ethnic cleansing operations," according to this UK-based NGO.
The Syrian Ministry spokesperson assured that the security forces were able to "contain the attacks against what remains of the deposed regime," "drive them away from vital centers and secure the main roads."
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