At least two people killed in Alawite demonstration following attack on mosque

Alawite demonstrations, organized after the deadly attack on a mosque targeting this community, spiraled out of control in Syria on Sunday as clashes between security forces and protesters left at least two dead and 60 injured, according to a report from the state-run Syrian agency SANA. Two opposing accounts clash regarding the sequence of events.

Thousands of people took to the streets of several cities on the Syrian coast, including Latakia, Jableh, Tartus, and Homs, to demand an end to the violence against the Alawite community, following Friday's mosque attack that killed eight in Homs, in the center of the country.

Security forces reportedly killed two people while dispersing a gathering in the coastal city of Latakia, the U.K.-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which has an extensive network of sources in the country, told AFP. A local hospital received two bodies, a medical source reported.

Syrian authorities have not confirmed firing on protesters. SANA, for its part, reported “attacks attributed to elements linked to the former regime targeting security forces and civilians.”

A source at the Interior Ministry explained that "armed elements linked to the former regime exploited the demonstrations to attack internal security forces with live ammunition," SANA reported. "We urge our fellow citizens along the coast not to be swayed by calls that, under the guise of protests, actually conceal armed activities," the source added.

Those admitted to hospitals had “injuries from bladed weapons, stone-throwing, as well as live bullets, blamed on elements of the former regime who targeted security personnel and citizens,” SANA added.

The agency further noted that “two ambulances were rendered out of service after being attacked and damaged by protesters while carrying out their mission.”

“Assad is gone, and we do not support Assad... Why this killing?” asked Noumeir Ramadan, a 48-year-old shopkeeper. “Why do these random acts take place, without any deterrence, accountability, or oversight?” he added.

'Flagrant violation'

The Alawite minority, to which Bashar al-Assad belongs, has been the target of attacks since an Islamist coalition took power in Damascus at the end of 2024.

In addition to Latakia, skirmishes also broke out in Homs, according to the SOHR, which reported several injuries. Senior figure Ghazal Ghazal, president of the Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and abroad, condemned “a flagrant violation” of freedom of expression, denouncing “oppression” by the new Syrian authorities. “We call on our people to stay safe and return home,” he wrote on Facebook.

He had called for the protest on Saturday “to show the world that the Alawite community could not be humiliated or marginalized,” after a similar rally in November. “We don't want a civil war; we want political federalism. We don't want your terrorism. We want to decide our own fate,” he emphasized.

His face appeared Sunday on some photos held by the crowd, who chanted for more autonomy. “Our primary demand is federalism in order to stop the bloodshed. We are being killed because we are Alawites,” lamented Hadil Saleh, a 40-year-old homemaker.

Saraya Ansar al-Sunna, a little-known Sunni extremist group, claimed Friday’s attack on the Telegram messaging app, vowing to continue targeting “infidels and apostates.”

Massacres on the coast in March left more than 1,700 dead, mostly Alawites, after clashes between security forces and Bashar al-Assad loyalists, according to the SOHR. A national investigative commission had counted at least 1,426 dead, most of them civilians.

Protesters also demanded on Sunday the release of Alawite detainees. According to Syrian state television, 70 of them were released two days ago “after it was proven they were not involved in war crimes,” and further releases are expected.