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The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on March 10 that its operations against the so-called “remnants of the Assad regime” on the coast had ended, but a war monitor warned that killings were still ongoing with civilians from the Alawite minority beginning the primary target.
In a statement, Hassan Abdul Ghani, a spokesman for the ministry, said that security threats had been neutralized in Latakia and Tartus.
“Having achieved [the neutralization of the security threats] we announce the end of the military operation,” Ghani said. “We were able … to absorb the attacks of the remnants of the toppled regime and its officers” and push them from “vital” locations.
The government’s crackdown on the coast began earlier this week when a rebellion mainly led by Alawites broke following months of violations. The Alawites are Syria’s largest minority group. The family of former president Bashar al-Assad belongs to the sect.
Following the ministry announcement, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) warned that killings were still ongoing with the death toll exceeding 1,500.
At least 1,068 of the casualties, the London-based war monitor reported, were civilians, mostly Alawites, killed by government forces and affiliate militias.
Syria’s interim President Ahmed Sharaa said on March 10 that the mass killings of Alawites were a threat to his mission to unite the country, and promised to punish those responsible, including his own allies if necessary.
In his first interview to a global news agency, Sharaa blamed pro-Assad groups backed by foreigners for triggering the bloodshed but acknowledged that revenge killings had followed.
Footage posted to social networks showed some of the murderers committed after the Ministry of Defense announced that operations were over on the coast. It also revealed what appears to be attempts by government forces to hide evidence, by setting fire to buildings in targeted areas and even collecting then dumping the bodies of victims in remote areas.
SOHR confirmed that the government was working to hide what happened, in some cases even placing weapons and military gear next to civilian bodies.
Later today, closed-door consultations will be held at the United Nations Security Council to address the recent developments on the Syrian coast upon the request of both Russia and the United States. The move will likely put some serious pressure on Sharaa.
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