Tehran – A fatal collision has occurred on Syrian coast, killing more than 70 people and leaving dozens of injuries and prisoners.
According to the Syrian Human Rights Station, “clashes between security forces and armed fighter jets” have killed more than 71 people in Latakia, western Syria.
In a social media post, the observation deck reported: “More than 70 people have been killed, dozens have been injured or caught, suffered from severe clashes and attacks, injured or arrested in an ambush on the Syrian coast between a ministry and members of the interior groups of the previous regime army.”
Local Syrian sources informed local news outlets that military reinforcements had been sent to and around the Mediterranean coastal city of Jabru and its surrounding area to support public security forces.
Additionally, HOMS and Tartous Public Safety Bureaus imposed a general curfew from 10pm to 10am. It was not immediately clear when the curfew would be lifted.
This development followed the killing of more than 10 security guards in a clash with an armed group near Jableh.
Security forces deployed helicopters during the battle, according to the observatory.
Previous reports from the observatory recorded at least 48 deaths in a fierce battle over Jabula and country Latakia.
These included 28 anti-government fighters, four civilians killed by security forces, and 16 security personnel.
The observatory described these conflicts as “the most violent” since the previous government collapse.
On Friday morning, SANA news agency reported that the Public Safety Bureau had launched “large security sweeps” in urban centres, villages and mountains around Thalasia and Latakia, Latakia, after military reinforcements arrived.
Security officials said the operation was “to eliminate the remains of Assad’s militia and its supporters,” and asked civilians to “stay indoors and report suspicious activity immediately.”
Restoring security across Syria has been one of the biggest challenges for interim president Ahmed Alshara since he took office in Damascus.
The country remains divided, with various anti-government armed factions operating in different states after 13 years of devastating war.
“In a well-coordinated, pre-planned attack, multiple groups of Assad’s militia remnants targeted Jable and surrounding patrols, causing numerous casualties among our troops,” said Lt. Col. Mustafa Kunefati, director of Latakia’s general security department.
He did not specify the exact number of victims.
“We absorb their dangerous attacks and eliminate them. We restore stability and protect people’s property,” he added.
According to Sana, the Syrian Ministry of Defense sent “large military reinforcements” to Jable and surrounding areas.
Unverified videos circulating on social media are said to show that unarmed members of the Alawite faction are running immediately.
background
Jableh’s escalation followed a clash between security forces and armed groups, who described him as a “follower of war detective Suheil Al-Hassan,” a former Syrian army colonel under the ASSAD government.
Tensions first flare up in Hassan’s hometown of Beit Ana after residents forced security forces to arrest wanted ones, according to the Syrian observatory.
In response, security forces began cracking down on the area, causing further clashes.
The observatory later reported that Syrian helicopters bomb Bite Ana and nearby forest armed groups, accompanied by artillery shelling in nearby villages.
The unrest in the Latakia countryside came shortly after security forces campaigned in a nearby Latakia city on Tuesday, according to the observatory.
Fifteen people died in clashes in Deraa in southern Syria on Tuesday and Wednesday, when government forces tried to enter a town owned by the pro-Assad group.
Condemnation and calls for international protection
The airstrikes and artillery fires in Syria have created widespread panic among civilians, according to the station.
Several areas of Syria’s coast saw protests against the new government’s safety measures on Thursday.
A similar demonstration occurred in Sweida (south Syria), rejecting what protesters called “de facto authority” in the government led by Alshara in Damascus.
Syria’s best Alawite Islamic Council and the diaspora condemned the “bombing of private homes” in a statement posted on social media.
The council urged people across Syria, particularly in coastal regions, to hold a peaceful sit-in on Friday afternoon “to oppose fraud.”
The demonstration was planned in Latakia, Tartus, Damascus and Homs.
On Friday morning, the council issued another statement urging the UN, Russia and the international community to “put the Syrian coast and the Alawite region under UN protection,” enacting Chapter VII of the UN Charter to protect the Alawite community and other minorities.
A gathering of supporters and a call for jihad
In contrast, AFP says that news of security guards being killed is spreading, and most of them are the bases of Idlib Al-Sham (HTS) loyalists from Idlib province, where Idlib city gathers in Idlib city.
The mosque called for “jihad” against armed groups on the Syrian coast.
Latakia, a city with a predominantly Alawite population, experienced great unrest in the early days after the collapse of the previous government. However, security tensions have eased over the past few months.
Human rights groups report government abuse of the Alawite community. These include the seizing of property, execution of summary and invitation.