Syria’s Al-Sharaa urges ‘civil peace’ as executions and clashes leave over 1,000 dead

Syria’s President Ahmad Al-Sharaa has called for national unity as violence escalates in the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartous. Reports indicate widespread executions by HTS-led, pro-government forces amid ongoing clashes.

During morning prayers in Damascus today, Al-Sharaa said in a televised broadcast “What is happening in Syria now is one of the expected challenges … We must preserve national unity and civil peace in the country, we have the opportunity to live together.”

Armed groups have launched attacks on several villages, with local sources reporting massacres in Latakia, Tartous, Hama, and Homs. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) estimates that at least 1,018 people have been killed, including 745 civilians executed in what it described as “sectarian massacres.” Footage circulating online shows unarmed civilians being shot at close range by security forces.

Yesterday, SOHR reported that “311 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal region… by security forces and allied groups” since Thursday.

1/ So far 717 Alawite civilians confirmed dead in western Syria. Here are their names: pic.twitter.com/miAHcGToLY

— Jenan Moussa (@jenanmoussa) March 8, 2025

READ: France voices concern over violence in Syria’s coastal cities

The Syrian Ministry of Defense stated that troops were “pursuing remnants of the former regime” and that the situation was under control. However, fierce clashes in Bataanita, Latakia, forced many fighters linked to the ousted government to flee. Meanwhile, internet and telecommunications services in Daraa and Sweida were disrupted after key cables were severed.

In a statement the EU’s Lead Spokesperson for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy said the EU “strongly condemns the recent attacks, reportedly by pro-Assad elements, on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians.”

Syrian Christians and Alawites are being slaughtered in Syria by soldiers of the ISIS/AlQaeda terrorist government. The death toll is 1800 in just the last few days, with many victims still missing. Entire villages are being slaughtered by these terrorist govt forces. These… pic.twitter.com/Gm0YVlg9VM

— Iraqi Christian Foundation (@iraqschristians) March 8, 2025

The Lebanese resistance movement Hezbollah denied involvement in the clashes, rejecting accusations as “baseless.” Western powers and Syria’s neighbours have urged unity to stabilise the country.

The SOHR reported that five massacres on 7 March alone resulted in the deaths of 162 civilians, including women and children. It warned that the killings marked a dangerous escalation in human rights violations.

A new Syria is born: MEMO in Conversation with Sarah Hunaidi