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Vice President of the United States, JD Vance, has expressed grave concerns over reports of targeted violence against minority groups in Syria, describing the situation as potentially “a horrific massacre” and stressed the need for urgent action.
Earlier this month, the Syrian interim government, which is led by Islamists factions, unleashed a deadly crackdown on the Syrian coast. Nearly 1,500 civilians, mainly Chirstans and Alawites, were killed, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which reported some 50 separate massacres orchestrated by government forces, loyalists and foreign jihadists.
In an interview with Fox News on March 14, Vance stated that the administration of President Donald Trump is working to determine the true extent of the violence, questioning whether it constitutes isolated incidents or a broader campaign of mass persecution.
“It looks really bad, and we’re trying to figure out exactly how bad it is—whether this is something limited to what we see on social media or if we’re dealing with mass genocide,” he said.
Vance attributed the worsening crisis to radical elements that gained ground in Syria, criticizing past U.S. policies that emboldened Islamist factions.
“Unfortunately, when America encourages these so-called rebels to take over a country, it’s religious minorities—especially Christians—that suffer the most. We do not want to see another Christian community erased from the face of the earth,” Vance asserted.
The Vice President also confirmed that Washington has already begun diplomatic engagements to ensure the protection of vulnerable communities, including Christians and Druze. He ruled out military intervention, but stressed the importance of leveraging diplomatic and economic tools to safeguard Syria’s historical minorities.
“We’re talking to our allies. We’re already working behind the scenes to push for protections for minorities. But it’s truly scandalous,” he said.
Vance went on to draw a comparison to Iraq, where the U.S.-led invasion of 2003 contributed to the decimation of one of the world’s oldest Christian populations.
“Whatever your views on the Iraq War, the result was the destruction of an ancient Christian community. We cannot allow that to happen again,” he warned.
The Syrian interim government attempted to dodge responsibility by announcing that all operations on the coast were over, then forming an investigation committee. Nevertheless, the killings and an array of violations targeting minorities there continue.
The massacres have so far displaced at least 10,000 civilians to the governorate of Baalbek-Hermel in eastern Lebanon with more that 8,000 others taking shelter at Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base near the city of Jableh in Latakia. Alawites make the majority of the displaced.
With no direct military involvement, it is unclear how the U.S. could protect minorities in Syria. Collaborating with Russia, which also maintains a strong influence in Syria, may be one way. The two sides have already showed willingness to work together on the matter when the a statement drafted by them against the recent violence on the Syrian coast was adopted by the United Nations Security Council on March 14.
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