Continued Clashes Between Syrian Army and Remnants of Assad Regime; '340 Civilians Executed'

Violence and clashes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus in western Syria have resulted in over 500 deaths, most of whom are civilians from the Alawite minority. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a monitoring group based in the UK, reported that Syrian government forces have executed 'at least 340 civilians' in various areas of the coastal provinces in 'street executions' over the past three days. Additionally, at least 200 people have been killed in the clashes between government forces and armed supporters of the ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Latakia and Tartus. These developments mark the most violent events in Syria since the fall of the Assad dynasty on December 8. The violence began after armed supporters of Assad killed two members of the new Syrian Ministry of Defense in the al-Da'tour neighborhood of Latakia on Tuesday, March 5. Latakia is the stronghold of the Assad family, and most residents of this province are Alawite. Following this incident, the new Syrian government's security forces launched extensive security operations in the al-Da'tour neighborhood and surrounding areas with the declared aim of cleansing the region of 'remnants of the Assad regime.' However, on Thursday, Syrian government forces were targeted by coordinated attacks from armed groups supporting Assad in various areas of Latakia and Tartus, as well as on roads leading to these provinces in the outskirts of Homs and Aleppo, marking the beginning of widespread clashes in these regions. The armed uprising of Assad supporters, reportedly led by 'Suhail al-Hassan,' a former senior officer in the Syrian army and close associate of Bashar al-Assad, has resulted in some areas in Latakia and Tartus falling out of government control. The transitional Syrian government, led by Ahmad al-Shara, dispatched large convoys of army forces equipped with heavy weapons and helicopters from various areas, including Damascus, to the coastal provinces to control the situation. Reports indicate that army forces bombarded some areas with helicopters and heavy weaponry. Clashes between government forces and armed groups supporting Assad have left over 200 dead from both sides by Saturday morning. It is noteworthy that last month, 'Maqdad Fatiha,' a former Syrian army officer, announced in a video the formation of an armed group called 'Coastal Shield Brigade' with the aim of 'cleansing coastal areas' of the new Syrian government forces. This group is composed of remnants of the 25th Division and special forces of the Assad regime. Concurrently with the ongoing violence, multiple reports emerged from Friday afternoon of government forces executing predominantly Alawite civilians in the coastal provinces. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, there have been 'six massacres' targeting civilians in various areas of the coastal provinces, resulting in at least 340 executions. The highest number of victims was recorded in the city of Baniyas in the outskirts of Tartus, where 'at least 60 civilians, including 10 women and five children, were executed.' Rami Abdulrahman, director of the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, described the executions in the coastal provinces as 'collective punishment' and urged the new rulers of Syria to fulfill their responsibilities. Following the release of these reports, the Syrian Ministry of Defense claimed that it had formed a committee 'to pursue and punish law violators.'