745 civilians, 148 supporters of former President Assad and 125 government forces were killed
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More than 1,000 people were killed in clashes between government security forces and supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad in Syria on Friday and Saturday. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least 745 civilians were killed. According to SOHR, 148 people supported by former President Assad and 125 people from government forces lost their lives in the clashes. This is the worst violence in Syria in 14 years.
The clashes began after "Alawite fighters" loyal to ousted former president Assad attacked security forces in Jableh in the coastal province of Latakia. Soon after the Syrian government took action to suppress the rebellion, thousands of fighters from all over the country gathered in the area.
Clashes erupted three months after rebels seized power after ousting Assad, challenging the new government in Damascus. A group led by the Islamic rebel group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham overthrew the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad three months ago. The Syrian government said it was responding to attacks by remnants of forces loyal to Assad. The government claims that the violence spread because of 'personal interests'.
Syria's interim president, Ahmed Shara, has called for national unity. "We must preserve national unity and civil peace as much as possible, God willing we will be able to live together in this country," Shara said from a mosque in Damascus. He has claimed that the latest incident is part of the expected challenges after the fall of the Assad regime.
According to SOHR, electricity and water lines were cut in Latakia city and surrounding areas after the clashes. Hundreds of people have fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, considered the main strongholds of ousted President Assad, the BBC reported.
After the "treacherous attack" on its security personnel, the government has regained control of the situation, according to some news organizations citing the spokesperson of the Syrian Ministry of Defense. "The violence has sent the Alawite community into a state of panic," an activist in the city told the BBC. Alawites make up about 10 percent of the total population in Syria. He said that hundreds of people fled from the affected areas. According to the Reuters news agency, after the clashes, a large crowd took refuge in the Russian military base in Hmeimim in Latakia.
According to local media, dozens of families have fled to neighboring Lebanon. Geir Pedersen, the UN special envoy for Syria, said there were "disturbing reports of many civilian casualties" in Syria's coastal areas and he was "deeply concerned". He called on all parties to refrain from actions that could destabilize the country and jeopardize an inclusive political transition, the BBC reported.
