UN staff in Syria relocated amid escalation of clashes on Syrian coast
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The United Nations' statement comes as a mission by the organization starts touring the sites of the massacres that took place in northwestern Syria.
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A nurse points to bullet holes in a window following the recent wave of violence in Syria, at a hospital in the town of Jableh, in Syria's coastal region, on Monday, March 10, 2025 (AP)
Some United Nations staff in Syria have been relocated as massacres targeting Alawite individuals intensify along the Syrian coast, according to a UN spokesperson on Monday.
"Some staff have been relocated, but not a large number at all," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric stated after being asked if the international organization had any presence in Syria, adding that those perpetrating the atrocities must be held accountable.
The Russian Ambassador to the United Nations, Vasily Nebeznia, emphasized that the council had a "unanimous position on the latest escalations" in Syria during a UN Security Council meeting covering the latest developments in Syria and Russia.
Violence in Syria reaches an end
Violence across Latakia and surrounding areas spread following clashes between government security forces and fighters affiliated with the former regime of Bashar al-Assad, a war monitor reported on March 7.
The Syrian Ministry of Defence announced that the "military operation" on the coastal line has been concluded on March 10, claiming that it eradicated the former regime's cells and members across Tartus and Latakia, noting that an alleged investigation was under way to investigate recent events, confirm the actions, and ensure justice for the victims.
Local sources reported that tensions in the Syrian coastal region have started to ease on as a UN mission commenced its tour from the city of Jableh, noting that "a state of cautious calm prevails in several areas of Latakia's countryside, particularly with the withdrawal of foreign fighters from these areas"
A local source confirmed to Al Mayadeen that a United Nations delegation entered the city of Jableh in the Latakia countryside, Syria, for the first time on March 10, accompanied by members of the new regime's General Security as they toured the neighborhoods, inspecting shops and homes that were recently looted and burned
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 1,000 people have lost their lives in the recent violence, including nearly 700 civilians, with the majority of deaths linked to new administration forces, while the Syrian Network for Human Rights separately documented at least 125 civilian fatalities caused by state troops
Syria’s transitional leader, Ahmad al-Sharaa, pledged on Sunday to hold accountable those responsible for the violent clashes between militants allegedly linked to ousted President Bashar al-Assad and the country’s new security forces, stressing that anyone exceeding their authority will face consequences.
The attacks in northwestern Syria have displaced thousands belonging to the Alawite minority group, many of whom told The New York Times of harrowing accounts of their experience as armed forces reached their villages.
