12 civilians, mostly Alawites, killed in sectarian attacks in Syria: SOHR

Twelve civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed Monday in western and central Syria by armed men, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported, three weeks after massacres targeted the minority group to which former President Bashar Assad belonged.

In Tartous province, a predominantly Alawite region in western Syria, SOHR reported that six civilians, including a local official, were killed in a village. The attackers allegedly came from a former military camp now controlled by forces under the Interior and Defense ministries and returned to their base after the attack. According to SOHR, the assailants shouted sectarian insults before executing the civilians.

In Homs, two armed men stormed a home in a mixed Alawite-Sunni neighborhood, killing a woman and her three children, including a young girl, and injuring the father, SOHR said. The family was Alawite, according to the group. Two Sunni visitors at the home were also killed. SOHR identified the attackers as "a general security agent and his son."

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In the shadow of massacres, Syria’s minorities face renewed fear

Wave of sectarian violence

Syria’s new authorities face the daunting task of restoring stability in a country fractured by 14 years of civil war. The latest attacks come nearly three weeks after massacres on the Syrian coast amid clashes between security forces and supporters of the Assad clan.

Security forces, allied groups, and foreign jihadists have been accused of committing atrocities since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown on Dec. 8 by a coalition led by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). SOHR reported that massacres on March 7 and 8 killed over 1,700 people, mostly Alawites, wiping out entire families.

According to survivors and several NGOs, attackers asked victims whether they were Alawite or Sunni before deciding to execute or spare them. SOHR and activists have released videos showing executions of unarmed civilians. More than 21,000 people have fled to northern Lebanon, near the Syrian coast, according to the U.N.

Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa, who leads HTS, vowed to hold those responsible accountable and formed an independent investigative commission. However, summary executions and revenge killings continue, according to SOHR.