UN team inspects massacre sites in Syria as clashes expand to capital

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Al Mayadeen
10 Mar 2025 04:43
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Locals reported intense clashes in the Syrian capital, Damascus, after a wave of violence saw the execution of hundreds of civilians.

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Members of the Syrian government security forces deploy on a street in Damascus, Syria, on March 6, 2025. (AP)

A United Nations delegation was seen entering the city of Jableh in the Latakia countryside, Syria, for the first time on Sunday night, a local source told Al Mayadeen.

The UN team was accompanied by members of the new regime's General Security, touring the neighborhoods of Jableh, where they inspected the shops and homes that were looted and burnt recently.

This comes after a wave of violence swept western Syria, where armed personnel affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defense and the Internal Security Force were seen in footage committing heinous war crimes, including mass summary executions.

The slaughtering of Syrian civilians was preceded by clashes that broke out in the area. What authorities described as "remnants of the previous regime" launched several attacks on Syrian armed forces affiliated with the new regime in coastal areas on Thursday.

As a result of the violence, more than 1,018 Syrians were killed, the vast majority of whom are civilians, including women and children, a report by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) revealed.

Intermittent clashes reach Syria's capital

Early Monday, Al Mayadeen's correspondent reported intense clashes near a "Political Security" branch, a security facility now under the control of the new regime, located in al-Mazzeh neighborhood of Damascus.

Sources informed Al Mayadeen that a checkpoint manned by General Security forces was targeted in an attack, believed to have been carried out by remnants of the previous regime.

The al-Watan newspaper reported that Syrian security forces are actively defending against the assault, working to neutralize the attackers and restore control of the area.

These attacks have been the predominant form of clashes in recent days, with militants increasingly launching hit-and-run ambushes against forces affiliated with the new regime, particularly along the coast. However, Monday's attack represents a significant escalation, as no previous incidents of this nature—targeting security infrastructure in the heart of Damascus—have been recorded.

اشتباكات بين الفص،ائل على أوتستراد المزة بدمشق منذ قليل#سوريا_الان pic.twitter.com/WfWshOKdFK
— Mohammed Al-Jajeh 🇸🇪 (@mohammed_jajeh) March 10, 2025

Syrian Presidency launches investigations

Earlier on Sunday, the Syrian Transitional Presidency announced the formation of an independent national committee tasked with investigating the recent violence along the coast. According to the presidency's statement, the committee's primary objectives include determining the causes and circumstances that led to the events, probing the violations suffered by civilians, and identifying those responsible for the attacks.

The statement emphasized that the committee would also investigate assaults on institutions, security personnel, and the army, with a strong call for all government bodies to fully cooperate to ensure the investigation's success.

In parallel, the Syrian Ministry of Defense in the interim government confirmed that "violations and abuses" had occurred in several villages and towns, primarily targeting civilians, allegedly perpetrated by undisciplined groups. The ministry stated that a dedicated committee had been formed to investigate these actions, with any individual found guilty of violating orders to be tried in a military court.