Syrian security forces send reinforcements to the Latakia countryside. 7 March, 2025. Photo: AFP.
Fighters affiliated with the former Syrian army launched an uprising against the state and have captured the city of Jableh and several sites on the western coast
Dozens of people have been killed in heavy clashes which are ongoing on the western Syrian coast, following an uprising against Syria’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham-led (HTS) authorities carried out by cells affiliated with the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) – the country’s former military.
Thirty-five members of the HTS-led Syrian Defense and Interior Ministries were killed, as well as 32 fighters affiliated with the SAA and four civilians – marking 71 in total so far, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
Intense clashes continue to rage in Latakia, Tartous, and Jableh. The entire city of Jableh has been captured by the former Syrian army cells.
“Members of the former regime army have been deployed in several towns and villages in the Syrian coastline, precisely the northern neighborhoods of Baniyas city and on the road leading to Jableh. [Several HTS] military forces have been ambushed on Tartous–Homs highway and Baniyas–Jableh highway,” SOHR reported on 7 March.
Government reinforcements have continued to arrive from Hama, Homs, and Idlib.
The SAA cells have reportedly taken over a number of bases and military sites, including the Astamu airbase and Naval College in Tartous.
Russian forces stationed at Hmeimim Air Base have reportedly accepted the surrender of dozens of security personnel, while the general security service has imposed a 24-hour curfew across Latakia, Tartous, and Homs as the situation remains volatile, according to SOHR.
Dozens of fighters from both sides have been taken captive. Executions have also been reported.
SOHR reported that 52 Alawite civilians were killed by security forces in the Latakia countryside.
A video circulating on Syrian telegram channels on Friday shows the aftermath of a massacre of unarmed civilians in the Latakia countryside, specifically the villages of Al-Mukhtariyya and Al-Zobar on the Aleppo–Lattakia Road, carried out by HTS-led security forces.
On Thursday evening, a document circulated announcing the formation of the Military Council for the Liberation of Syria, reportedly signed by Brigadier General Ghiath Dala of the former Syrian military. It states that the armed groups currently rebelling against new authorities on the Syrian coast are working to “liberate all Syrian territory from occupiers and terrorist forces” and “overthrow the HTS regime.”
It also called for “rebuilding state institutions on national and democratic foundations” and “establishing a unified, sovereign state consisting of all sects and ethnic groups.” Whether or not the document is authentic remains unclear.
On Friday morning, another statement attributed to Dala read: “To the brothers and comrades in arms, we are not advocates of sedition or division, but like every honorable and free Syrian, we do not accept injustice, oppression, and sectarianism. I call on everyone to calm down, reject violence, and be patient.”
“I and those with me condemn any actions with a sectarian motive, regardless of who was behind them. We will negotiate through the available communication channels in order to reach a sustainable calm in all regions to spare the blood of one people. We hope that everyone will abide by the instructions,” it added.
The clashes broke out on 6 March after security forces entered the town of Al-Daatour in Latakia and Dalieh in Jableh as part of a security campaign against remnants of the SAA. This campaign has been ongoing since the fall of former president Bashar al-Assad’s government in December last year.
Sporadic clashes and ambushes against security forces have been taking place since then – until the outbreak of large-scale fighting on Thursday.
The Alawite minority has faced heavy persecution from the authorities since the new government took power.
