One dead, several people injured in Syria amid protests in Latakia
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The protests came after the new Syrian administration launched a detainment campaign, arresting former members of the ousted Assad regime.
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Syrian new regime's security forces leave the area after an operation in Tadamon, a suburb of Damascus, Syria, Monday, Feb. 17, 2025 (AP)
One person was killed and 5 others were injured, according to local Al Mayadeen sources, after General Security members fired live rounds at protesters in the city of Qardaha, Latakia, following rising tensions after the Syrian new regime's security forces launched a detainment campaign targetting former regime members.
#شاهد القرداحة في اللاذقية السورية بعد اعتداء عصابات الجولاني على الاهالي #الجولاني_إرهابي pic.twitter.com/MGevwKj2AV
— ALI Yasser { Babylon } (@AaisackAli) February 26, 2025
Several areas in the provinces of Latakia and Homs witnessed a widespread arrest campaign, as security checkpoints in Latakia detained five people while they were on their way to the city of Jableh in Latakia.
The advance of opposition factions from northern Syria has driven many Alawites, especially in the city of Homs in the central part of the country, where they are densely concentrated, to flee toward the coastal region of Latakia and Tartous, which is considered a major stronghold of the Alawite sect.
Israel launches attack on Syria
This comes amid increased tensions in southern Syria as "Israel" launches a wide-scale attack, striking targets in Daraa, al-Suweida, Quneitra, and the Damascus countryside using fighter jets while ground forces advance in the Qunietra province.
Sources told Al Mayadeen Israeli warplanes bombing the al-Kiswah area, flying over Damascus afterward, with our correspondent reporting at least six loud explosions echoing through the Suweida countryside.
This followed announcements by "Israel" that it would not tolerate any presence of Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) or any military forces linked to the new Syria administration in southern Syria, following the HTS takeover of Damascus toppling al-Assad's regime.
The Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu justified his army's military presence in Syria as a "defensive measure", adding that Israeli Occupation Forces would remain there indefinitely, while demanding the full demilitarization of Quneitra, Daraa, and Sweida, stating, "We will not allow forces of the HTS or the new Syrian army to enter the territory south of Damascus."
Netanyahu also further justified the Israeli invasion of Syria by claiming Druze minorities in southern Syria were endangered, stating that "We will not tolerate any threat to the Druze sect in southern Syria."
The Syrian president Ahmad al Shara'a was "sending assurances to Israel", noting that the Israeli "escalatory rhetoric against Syria is unjustified," and the threat of the previous Syrian government no longer exists, emphasizing that his government was "working to prevent the transfer of weapons to Hezbollah through its territory."
