Great Britain Activists report more than a thousand dead in Syria
According to estimates by activists, more than 1,000 people have already fallen victim to the outbreak of violence in Syria between supporters of the ousted long-term ruler Bashar al-Assad and the new rulers.
09.03.2025, 06:02
SDA
Security forces of the Islamist transitional government have carried out outright "massacres" among members of the Alawite religious minority, to which ex-President al-Assad also belongs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported in the evening that 745 civilians were among those killed.
The bloodshed began on Thursday. According to the new rulers, armed supporters of the ousted Assad government had attacked security forces near the coastal town of Jabla in the Alawite-majority province of Latakia. The attacks by the insurgents appeared to be coordinated, wrote the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) in Washington. On Friday, the transitional government therefore deployed larger contingents of troops to the region. The government troops deployed artillery, tanks and rocket launchers, it said.
Fear among the Alawites
Fear and terror are particularly widespread among the Alawites, said one resident. "There are many attacks and killings based on religious affiliation. There are also thefts," he said. Women and children are also among the victims, reported the UK-based Observatory for Human Rights, which is monitoring the conflict through a network of informants. It spoke of massacres in 29 towns in the governorates of Latakia, Tartus, Hama and Homs and accused fighters of the Islamist transitional government of war crimes.
Supporters of the ousted al-Assad are trying to use these murders to mobilize minority groups, according to an ISW report. Among the Alawites in particular, there is a growing feeling that the interim government of the new Islamist rulers is oppressing and marginalizing them. For interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, the clashes are the first major test. The former rebel leader addressed the population on Friday evening and explained that remnants of the ex-government had tried to "test the new Syria" with their attacks.
Supplying the population is becoming more difficult
The observatory in the UK called on the international community to take urgent action and demanded the deployment of experts to document human rights violations. It also appealed to the Syrian authorities in the capital Damascus to bring those responsible for the reported executions to justice. In Latakia, there had also been failures in the electricity and water supply. Bakeries had stopped production and markets were closed, making it increasingly difficult for the population to obtain supplies, it was reported.
Neighboring countries are concerned
Syria's neighbouring countries are concerned about the difficult security situation in the region: the foreign and defence ministers as well as the intelligence chiefs of Turkey, Jordan and Iraq are therefore meeting with their Syrian counterparts in the Jordanian capital Amman today to discuss security threats, counter-terrorism and organized crime, according to Turkish diplomatic sources. The talks will also focus on the extremists of the Islamic State (IS) terrorist militia. Thousands of IS fighters are being held in prisons in north-eastern Syria.
Israel sends delegation back to the negotiating table
Meanwhile, Israel will send a delegation to the Gulf emirate of Qatar on Monday in order to advance negotiations on a continuation of the ceasefire in the Gaza Strip and the release of the remaining hostages held by the Islamist Hamas in the capital Doha. This was announced by the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the evening. According to the US news website "Axios", the US special envoy Steve Witkoff is expected to join them on Tuesday evening.
A Hamas spokesperson stated that there were "positive signs" that negotiations on the second phase of the originally agreed agreement could begin. However, an Israeli official told the "Times of Israel" newspaper that he was not aware of any progress in talks on the second phase. This envisages the end of the war and the withdrawal of Israeli troops from Gaza. Israel's government wants Hamas to agree to an extension of the first phase of the ceasefire - and is threatening to restart the war without releasing any more hostages.
USA presses for agreement
The administration of US President Donald Trump is pushing for an agreement that would lead to the release of all hostages and an extension of the ceasefire until after mid-April and possibly to a long-term ceasefire and an end to the war, wrote "Axios". According to Israeli information, 24 living hostages and 35 bodies of abductees are still being held in Gaza. As Israel is not talking directly to Hamas, Egypt, Qatar and the USA are acting as mediators between the two sides.
