Ghazal Ghazal, the spiritual leader of Syria’s Alawite religious minority, has called for a strike against the regime of Ahmad al-Shara (Abu Muhammad al-Jolani), one day ahead of the one-year anniversary of the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime, Cradle newspaper reported on Sunday.
The attacks, which lasted from December 8 to December 12, represent a “peaceful response” to the new Syrian regime’s policies, which have systematically targeted the Alawite minority since the beginning of the year.
Ghazal also accused Damascus of using coercion to force the celebrations. Sharaa recently called on all Syrians to take to the streets to mark the anniversary of the start of the 11-day offensive that led to the fall of Assad’s regime on December 8, 2024.
“They have arrested, killed, massacred, kidnapped and burned to death, and now they are threatening our lives and forcing us to take part in the celebrations,” he said, referring to al-Jolani forces.
The religious leaders’ call for a strike comes as supporters of the new regime celebrate the fall of Assad.
This was in line with a statement from the Kurdish-led Autonomous Administration for North and East Syria (AANES).
AANES called on people in northern and eastern Syria not to participate in celebrations or events commemorating the fall of the previous regime.
Thousands of Alawite civilians were massacred by al-Jolani regime forces in a violent crackdown in March of this year.
Young Alawite girls continue to disappear as a result of regime-related kidnapping networks, and Alawite men are regularly executed.
On November 25, thousands of Alawites took to the streets across Syria’s coastal cities to protest regime-led sectarian violence. Security forces opened fire on demonstrators.