Thousands of people took to the streets in the cities of Tartus, Latakia, Baniyas, Jaboulet and Homs on Tuesday, marching, chanting and holding placards condemning the continued violence against Alawites by HTS forces and their allied militias, Press TV reported.
According to local reports, Alawite demonstrators were shot and wounded by HTS forces in several cities, and others were detained and taken to unknown locations. About an hour after the rally began, gunshots were heard in Latakia’s agricultural square.
Verified video footage showed a man lying motionless on the ground with a head wound.
Authorities did not immediately confirm casualties, but the so-called Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that at least one person was wounded by HTS gunfire.
The London-based War Observatory said one person was also wounded in the coastal city of Latakia.
The demonstrations were mainly sparked by deadly assaults against Alawite civilians carried out two days earlier by tribal militias backed by the HTS regime.
The attackers attacked the al-Muhajireen district of Homs, burning houses and shops, destroying cars, and firing indiscriminately at residents, killing at least two people and wounding dozens.
The coastal protests followed a call by Syrian Alawite religious leader Ghazal Ghazal, who called on members of his community to stage a sit-in to demand federalism, political decentralization, an end to murders, kidnappings and ethnic cleansing, and the release of Alawite detainees.
SOHR described the demonstrations, which took place in 42 locations in western Syria, as a “peaceful Alawite uprising.”
The protesters demanded the right to self-determination, the release of Alawites imprisoned since the fall of President Bashar al-Assad, and an end to all violence targeting their community.
In March of this year, thousands of Alawite civilians were massacred by HTS forces during a violent crackdown on the community.
Since then, the Alawite community has been subjected to organized sectarian attacks and serial killings. Young Alawite girls continue to disappear as a result of HTS-related kidnapping networks, and Alawite men are regularly executed.
The abduction and murder occurred amid widespread political instability since HTS militants led by former al-Qaeda and Daesh commander Abu Mohammed al-Jolani took control of Damascus on December 8, 2024.
According to SOHR, at least 55 massacres took place in the three days starting March 7, killing at least 1,600 Alawite civilians and also featuring the systematic looting and burning of homes.
HTS forces are primarily made up of al-Qaeda-affiliated terrorists. Since the fall of Assad’s regime and the collapse of the army last year, a number of other Daesh-linked militant factions have become official brigades of HTS forces.
Thousands of Druze civilians were also massacred by HTS forces during clashes in Suweida earlier this year.
Since December, following the collapse of the Damascus government, the Israeli military has launched airstrikes on Syrian soil, including military installations, installations, and weapons depots owned by the armies of the now-defunct Arab states.
MNA