Syria’s newly-formed rebel-led government has reported the death of 14 interior ministry troops in what it described as an “ambush” by supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
The attack occurred near the Mediterranean Port of Tartous, a traditional stronghold of Assad’s Alawite Muslim sect.
Ten other soldiers were reportedly injured in the clashes on Tuesday.
The troops were allegedly ambushed during an operation to arrest a former officer linked to abuses at the notorious Saydnaya prison, located near Damascus.
The facility was infamous for the torture and killing of thousands during Assad’s regime.
The United Kingdom based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) confirmed the clashes and reported that three unidentified “armed men” were killed. It also noted that government forces later dispatched reinforcements to the area.
Tartous became a flashpoint for tensions as former officers and local Alawites resisted the new authorities.
Alawite religious leaders called for a general amnesty, but the likelihood remained slim due to alleged war crimes committed by members of the sect.
Alawites, an offshoot of Shia Islam, were central to Assad’s regime, and many feared reprisals from victims of past atrocities. Calls for justice and accountability continued to grow across Syria, with tens of thousands of families waiting for answers regarding loved ones tortured or killed under Assad’s rule.
A resident in Tartous said, “The community is terrified of revenge. Former officers are refusing to hand over weapons, and some towns appear ready to fight back.”
Separately, unrest in Homs led Syrian authorities to impose an overnight curfew on Tuesday. The protests were reportedly triggered by a video allegedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine. State media dismissed the footage as old, claiming it was filmed during a rebel offensive in Aleppo in late November.
The SOHR reported one demonstrator killed and five others wounded during the unrest in Homs. Demonstrations also erupted in Tartous, Latakia, and Qardaha—Assad’s hometown.
The fall of Assad’s presidency, following a lightning offensive led by the Islamist faction Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), ended more than five decades of Assad family rule. Assad and his family fled to Russia, leaving behind a deeply fractured nation.
HTS, which the United Nations, United States, European Union, and United Kingdom classified as a terrorist organisation , pledged to uphold the rights of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities.
However, its promises were being tested amid growing concerns over the treatment of Alawites and other vulnerable groups.
Tensions also flared over incidents such as the burning of a Christmas tree, which sparked calls for the government to protect minority communities.
One Alawite religious leader expressed his concerns, saying, “We need reconciliation, not revenge. Without amnesty, the wounds of this nation will never heal.”
