Monitor says militias still committing crimes on Syrian coast
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The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights and eyewitnesses report that crimes are still ongoing on the Syrian coast despite Damascus declaring the security operation over.
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Syrian government security forces stand near a police station in the town of Jaramana, in the southern outskirts of Damascus, Syria, March 3, 2025 (AP)
Armed groups continue to commit crimes against civilians in Syria’s coastal region, despite the Syrian Ministry of Defense's announcement earlier today that its security operation had concluded, the opposition-affiliated Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Monday.
According to the observatory, armed groups entered the town of Harisun in the Baniyas countryside alongside new administration's Ministry of Defense forces, engaging in looting and burning of homes and properties. The town was also subjected to bombardment.
In a new update, the death toll following days of bloodshed in the Mediterranean coast's Alawite minority heartland has topped 1,000, according to the observatory.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces and allied groups had killed 1,068 civilians, the vast majority Alawites, since Thursday, in the worst wave of violence since former president Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.
An Al Mayadeen correspondent in Syria reported that residents of several villages in the Jableh countryside—including Kankaro, al-Qutailbiyah, Hammam al-Qarahla, al-Sakhaba, al-Rahbiya, al-Aqiba, and al-Rawush—have appealed for security forces to intervene and protect them from ongoing killings, kidnappings, and arson. They also urged that their voices be heard to stop the massacres.
The correspondent further noted that chaos persists in the Syrian coastal region, with massacres continuing despite official declarations of the security operation’s completion. He also reported that residents were being extorted for large sums of money in scarce US dollars to ensure their safety.
The escalating threats against Alawite communities in the Damascus countryside have prompted many to flee toward al-Suweida, according to the report.
An eyewitness speaking to Al Mayadeen called for international protection and an independent investigative committee to probe what he described as "genocidal operations" in the coastal region.
"What is happening here is unprecedented in history—entire villages are being wiped out," the witness stated. "We have suffered immense losses and still don’t know why."
'Ethnic cleansing'
The witness also asserted, "We are facing ethnic cleansing in the coastal region, and all of this is being documented in audio and video." He added that civilians had no affiliation with the remnants of the previous regime and that their suffering was being dismissed as fabricated or exaggerated.
"The perpetrators themselves have documented their crimes and taken pride in them. The international community must act to protect us," he urged.
Local sources reported that many residents remain displaced in forests and open fields, fearing to return home after the massacres. Other sources indicated that refugees at the Russian-operated Hmeimim airbase refuse to leave due to threats from armed groups, some allegedly linked to security forces.
The deteriorating security situation has worsened living conditions across the coastal region, with shortages of food and essential supplies persisting for days. Residents have sent urgent appeals for basic necessities, as electricity and drinking water remain cut off, and some bakeries in Latakia and Jableh have ceased operations for four days.
Military operation concluded
Earlier today, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced the conclusion of its military operation in the coastal region, stating that public institutions were now able to resume their functions. The ministry confirmed the neutralization of security cells and remnants of the former regime in areas across Latakia and Tartous provinces.
Transitional Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa warned on Sunday that "the threats facing Syria today are not merely temporary dangers but part of broader plans to incite discord and instability."
Meanwhile, the transitional presidency has established an independent national committee to investigate and document the recent events in the coastal region.
In recent days, the area has witnessed widespread lawlessness, with reports of extrajudicial killings carried out by armed factions described as "unruly" and affiliated with the Ministry of Defense and Internal Security.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported earlier that at least 1,018 people have been killed in the coastal region, including 745 civilians.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights also claimed government forces killed around 125 civilians.
The violence has sparked fears of a larger sectarian conflict, particularly in the Alawite-majority coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus. The Syrian Observatory said on Saturday that at least 60 civilians, including five children, were killed in the violence in Baniyas.
