Hardline factions fuel fear of sectarian violence across Syria
4 Min Read
Sectarian violence surges across Syria as hardline factions target minorities, prompting residents to protest, urging state action amid deepening instability.
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Members of Syria's security forces deploy as a sniper fires during an operation on the outskirts of the town of Sahnaya, south of Damascus, Wednesday, April 30, 2025 (AP)
Syria faces escalating sectarian tensions as hardline factions target minority communities, despite the government's alleged efforts to restore stability, with recent attacks and harassment of Christians, Druze, and Alawites, sparking fear and protests in different areas of Syria.
Violence, killings, and kidnappings continue unchecked across several Syrian provinces, carried out by factions the Syrian government describes in its statements as "rogue groups".
Unidentified individuals have put up posters on church walls and bulletin boards in the Hamirat district of Tartus in Syria, urging Christians to embrace Islam "for their salvation and to follow the true path." The leaflets also labeled other religions as "false".
In the northern Daraa countryside town of Ghabaghib, the body of a former Syrian security officer was discovered, as Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov warned of growing concerns over armed groups carrying out ethnic and religious cleansing in Syria.
Following the violent clashes in the coastal region last March and the recent bloodshed in Suweida earlier this May, fears have grown among other communities in Syrian provinces.
Residents are now calling for stricter control over extremist groups operating within the ranks of the General Security forces and the Ministry of Defense, accusing them of undermining social cohesion and perpetuating lawlessness.
Social media platforms circulated videos and photos showing search operations targeting multiple homes in western Homs, where some armed elements verbally harassed women and fired shots into houses during the raids.
Murshidiyya sect comes out in protests
The Murshidiyya sect has raised alarms, warning they could be "next after attacks on Druze and Alawites," urging Syria's government to treat all sects equally and rein in rogue factions operating outside state control that threaten civil peace.
Thousands of members of the Murshidiyya sect staged a silent sit-in protest in the towns of al-Ghassaniya and al-Aqrabiya in the countryside of al-Qusayr west of Homs, condemning the abuses committed by hardline faction members against residents, including physical assaults, death threats, and spreading hateful sectarian rhetoric.
Residents of the town of Shattha in northwestern Hama had earlier held protests condemning harassment committed by hardline factions, one of which maintains a headquarters near the surrounding areas of the town, while demanding that the state return all armed factions to military barracks.
Members of the Murshidiyya community told Al Mayadeen they fully support Syria's current government and have complied with all its demands to maintain civil peace, yet hardline factions continue escalating abuses against civilians.
Residents said fear now haunts villagers of all sects daily, with no response to their pleas, warning of potential massacres due to the unchecked daily threats from these factions' members.
Syrian forces confiscate arms, narcotics near Iraq border
Security forces in the Syrian town of al-Hari near the Iraqi border seized dozens of rockets and ammunition meant for smuggling, along with a quantity of narcotics, during a security operation, Mustafa al-Ali, head of general security in al-Bukamal, eastern Deir Ezzor, announced on Tuesday.
Al-Ali noted that the operation targeted warehouses and homes used by arms and drug traffickers in al-Hari, a key smuggling hub along the Syria-Iraq border, adding that several high-profile wanted individuals and others involved in smuggling weapons into Syrian territory using complex desert routes had been arrested.
Local sources reported that public security forces are conducting a security operation in the town of al-Hari after imposing a curfew in the area.
