Syria: Death toll from clashes rises to 524 among them 311 civilians from the Alawite sect by Syrian security forces during the intense security campaign in the coastal region

According to UK based, Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that more than 300 Alawite civilians have been killed since Thursday by Syrian security forces and allied groups, during combing operations and clashes with loyalists of ousted President Bashar al Assad in the west of the country.

The Observatory reported that 311 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal region… at the hands of security forces and allied groups since Thursday.

This brings the total death toll since the start of the clashes on Thursday to 524, including 213 members of the security forces and pro-Assad militants, according to the same source.

The city of Latakia, northwest Syria, witnessed violent clashes between Syrian forces and pro-Assad militants at dawn on Saturday, following the targeting of the National Hospital and Ibn Sina Hospital, in light of the attacks that have been ongoing for 3 days.

According to the Syrian official news agency, SANA, who quoted an unnamed security source in Latakia as saying, “An attack by regime forces is targeting the National Hospital in Latakia, while the General Security Forces are confronting it”.

This comes amidst deaths and injuries in a series of attacks by former regime militants that targeted 6 hospitals in the countryside of Syrian coastal provinces, Latakia and Tartous, according to what the Syrian Ministry of Health announced on Friday.

SANA quoted the media office of the Ministry of Health as saying, “Six hospitals in the countryside of Latakia and Tartous were subjected to direct attacks and assaults by remnants of the regime last night, which led to the martyrdom of several people and the injury of others, in addition to damage to the infrastructure”.

SANA pointed out that targeting hospitals is a crime against humanity that reveals the brutality of these groups and their insistence on spreading chaos and suffering.

In the same context, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced, on Friday evening, the failure of an attack by remnants of the ousted regime on the naval forces command in the city of Latakia.

Over the course of 3 days, the Syrian coastal region witnessed a state of security tension after elements of the former regime targeted security patrols, resulting in deaths and injuries.

After the fall of the Assad regime, on December 8, 2024, the new Syrian authorities opened settlement centers with elements of the former regime to hand over weapons, and thousands of soldiers responded, while some outlaws refused, especially in the coastal region, the stronghold of Assad’s senior officers, and chose to flee and hide in mountainous areas and set up ambushes for government forces.