The Media Line: Over 300 Alawite Civilians Killed Since Thursday, Syrian Monitor Says 

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Over 300 Alawite Civilians Killed Since Thursday, Syrian Monitor Says 

By The Media Line Staff 

Hundreds of members of the Alawite ethnoreligious group have been killed in Syria in recent days, as security forces and allied groups clash with fighters loyal to the ousted government of Bashar Assad. That’s according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), which reported on Saturday that 340 Alawite civilians were executed by security personnel or affiliated fighters, often accompanied by looting. 

SOHR also released footage appearing to show executions, though the images could not be independently verified. 

The violence erupted Thursday after security forces arrested a wanted individual in a predominantly Alawite village, triggering intense confrontations in Syria’s coastal region and the Latakia mountains. 

Since Thursday, the overall death toll has reached 553 people, including 93 members of the security forces and 120 pro-Assad fighters.  

Syria’s new president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, urged Assad loyalists to surrender. “Lay down your weapons and surrender before it’s too late,” he said in a Friday address. The Syrian government has framed its security operations as necessary to restore order, but concerns of sectarian reprisals against the Alawite community, to which the Assad family belongs, remain high.  

The UN envoy for Syria, Geir Pedersen, called reports of civilian executions “very troubling” and urged all parties to avoid actions that could further destabilize the country. 

Though tensions have eased somewhat as of Saturday, security forces continue operations in affected areas, SOHR said.