Heavy Frontline Fighting Near Aleppo, Opposition to 2025 Elections, and Alawite Vulnerability in Syria’s Transition

Heavy Frontline Fighting Near Aleppo, Opposition to 2025 Elections, and Alawite Vulnerability in Syria’s Transition
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Intense clashes have erupted between the Syrian Arab Army and Syrian Democratic Forces in the Deir Hafer and Tishrin Dam corridors just east of Aleppo, with local sources reporting use of heavy weaponry and a surge in insecurity across northern Syria, Shia Waves Persian reported.

Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Council has declared the 2025 parliamentary elections illegitimate, accusing the process of failing to reflect true popular will and excluding key segments of Syrian society. The council argued that without international oversight, no election can be considered genuine.

These two domestic conflicts unfold against a backdrop of deepening insecurity in Alawite-majority coastal regions. Human Rights Watch’s recent report “Are you Alawi?” documents identity-based killings in Latakia, Tartus, and Hama, where government forces and aligned militias allegedly interrogated residents about sectarian identity before carrying out house-to-house raids and summary executions. The report estimates at least 1,400 massacre victims during such operations earlier this year.

Although President Ahmed al-Sharaa extended a fact-finding committee’s mandate into these coastal killings, many Alawites remain skeptical of accountability. The Supreme Alawite Council has outright rejected the recent parliamentary elections, citing continued marginalization. Analysts warn that unless minority security and political inclusion are addressed, Syria risks returning to patterns of sectarian violence.