New Syrian Army Administration Announces Operation Against Assad Regime Elements

The new Syrian army administration announced that it has launched an operation in the Tartus province aimed at "maintaining security and countering elements of Bashar Assad's regime that are still active in the area." This statement, released on Thursday, January 6, indicates the transitional Syrian government's efforts under Ahmad al-Shara to consolidate its power in this coastal province, which has been a center of Alawite power. The operation follows deadly clashes this week between armed supporters of the ousted Bashar Assad regime and elements of the new government. The state news agency SANA, which has been the voice of the Ba'ath Party and loyal to Hafez and Bashar Assad for five decades, reported that the ruling armed forces have achieved successes in "neutralizing a certain number" of Assad loyalists. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights also reported the detention of several individuals in western Syria in connection with these clashes. These events are a continuation of incidents that occurred yesterday, January 5, in various parts of Syria. Following the release of a video showing an attack on the Alawite shrine in Syria, protests erupted in different parts of the country, reportedly leaving at least one dead in the city of Homs. The opposition monitoring group also reported deadly clashes in Tartus, the Alawite minority stronghold, to prevent the arrest of a former regime official. According to the monitoring group, the new Syrian government's security forces attempted to arrest an officer from Bashar Assad's regime in Tartus on Wednesday, January 5, leading to clashes that resulted in the deaths of 14 security personnel and three armed attackers. Simultaneously, Homs was also the scene of Alawite protests, during which, according to the monitoring group, one protester was killed by security forces' gunfire. Reports on Wednesday also indicated protests involving thousands in the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia, as well as other areas including Qardaha, Bashar Assad's hometown. Latakia, like Tartus, is considered a stronghold of the Alawite minority that held power during Assad's regime. The transitional Syrian government stated that Iran should not seek chaos; Kurdish advances in border areas. According to eyewitness accounts, AFP confirmed that the cities of Tartus, Latakia, and Jableh were scenes of protests, with some estimating the number of protesters in the thousands. This protest is considered the largest Alawite demonstration since the fall of Bashar Assad and occurred a day after hundreds of Syrians protested in Damascus in response to the burning of a Christmas tree. The new Islamist rulers of Syria have attempted to reassure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights will be preserved. Officials of the transitional Syrian government, appointed by the Islamist group Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham, stated that the video of the attack was related to an old shrine. The Syrian Ministry of Interior stated that the video showing the attack on the shrine in Aleppo is "old and related to the liberation" of the city in recent weeks. This statement claims that the attack on the Alawite shrine was carried out by "unknown groups" and that the purpose of its "re-release" is to create conflict among the Syrian people at this critical stage. According to the state news agency SANA, police in central Homs imposed a curfew from 6 PM local time until 8 AM on Thursday. A nighttime curfew was also implemented in the city of Jableh. Syrian Christians protested against the burning of the Christmas tree. The new political regime's officials also reported the burning of one million Captagon pills, which were produced under Bashar Assad's regime and his brother in various parts of the country. Forces affiliated with the transitional government burned several shipments of the pills in front of cameras, emphasizing that Syria must be cleansed of drugs. The U.S. government has emphasized in its long investigations over the past decade that the production of these pills has been one of the main sources of foreign currency income for Bashar Assad's regime and Hezbollah in Lebanon. Armed rebels discovered Captagon production equipment three weeks ago after the fall of Bashar Assad's regime in one of Maher Assad's palaces and in other locations such as warehouses in remote areas or the basements of notorious prisons.