More than 1,000 people have been killed in Syria after intense clashes erupted in the western part of the country on Thursday. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least 530 Alawite civilians were executed by Syrian security forces and allied militants during mass killings and raids.
According to SOHR, 745 civilians, mostly Alawites, were killed in the violence, along with 148 pro-government fighters and 125 security personnel. The massacre is considered one of the deadliest incidents in Syria’s 14-year conflict.
Eyewitnesses described horrific scenes in towns along the coast, where Alawite civilians were rounded up and executed. A survivor from Baniyasin recounted how women were stripped and shot while a teenage boy was forced to kill his own family at gunpoint. “They left nobody alive. The scene was pure horror,” he said. Some residents hid in bins and fled under the cover of darkness.
The violence began on Thursday when security forces and armed groups stormed Alawite-majority areas in Latakia and surrounding villages, executing civilians in the streets and inside their homes. Reports indicate homes were looted and set ablaze, with entire families being wiped out.
The massacre has sparked international condemnation, with the UN, Britain, Iraq, and Iran denouncing the killings. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia and Turkey have voiced support for Syrian authorities.
As tensions remain high, electricity and water supplies have been cut off in many parts of Latakia. Syria’s state media reported that security forces are working to restore order, while mass burials are underway for the victims of the killings.
