The president of Syria urges peace amid deadly clashes in coastal areas

Following an increase in coastal violence, security forces are accused of killing 745 Alawite civilians, according to SOHR, and Syrian President Sharaa has called for unity.

Following days of increasing violence in which security forces are accused of killing hundreds of Alawite civilians in the country’s coastal regions, Syrian President Ahmed Sharaa has called for calm and national unity.

Thirty separate atrocities targeting the Alawite minority on Friday and Saturday murdered about 745 civilians, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), located in the United Kingdom. The claimed death toll represents the greatest outbreak of violence since the overthrow of the Assad regime in December, though the BBC has not independently confirmed these figures.

President Sharaa called for unity and moderation in remarks made Sunday from a mosque in Damascus. “In order for us to coexist in this nation, we must maintain civil peace and national unity to the greatest extent possible,” he stated. He acknowledged the worsening situation and said the violence was “within the expected challenges” that Syria was facing.

According to reports, the violence spike started after government soldiers were ambushed in coastal towns of Tartus and Latakia, which were formerly devoted to the former president, Bashar al-Assad, who was Alawite. Since then, the battles have escalated into open warfare between forces of the new Islamist-led administration and Assad loyalists.

Over 1,000 individuals, including 148 pro-Assad fighters and 125 government security officials, have been slain in the last four days, according to SOHR. According to Reuters, at least 200 of the fighters in the new Syrian government had been slain.

After denouncing what it called “treacherous attacks” against its soldiers, the Syrian Defense Ministry claimed to have reclaimed control of some strategic regions.

Hundreds of people have been displaced by the intensifying violence, and many have taken sanctuary at the Russian military installation in Hmeimim, Latakia. Large groups were heard chanting *”People want Russian protection” in video footage released by Reuters. According to reports, scores more families have crossed the border into Lebanon in the meantime.

Geir Pedersen, the United Nations’ special envoy to Syria, voiced grave concerns about the deteriorating situation.

He called on all sides to use prudence and refrain from taking any steps that would “destabilize the country and jeopardize a credible and inclusive political transition,” as he expressed his deep alarm over the disturbing reports of civilian casualties in Syria’s coastal districts.

According to a city activist who spoke to the BBC, the violence has made the Alawite community in Syria fearful. The upcoming days will be critical in assessing whether President Sharaa’s calls for peace will be heard, given the escalating tensions and potential of additional conflict.