Damascus: More than 1,000 people have lost their lives in two days of intense violence in Syria, marking one of the deadliest incidents in the country’s 14-year-long conflict, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The clashes erupted between supporters of the current government and forces believed to be loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad.
The SOHR, a UK-based monitoring group, reported that the violence began on Thursday afternoon when pro-Assad militants ambushed Syrian security forces in the Latakia region, an area historically associated with the deposed leader’s Alawite support base.
According to SOHR, the death toll includes 745 civilians, many of whom were victims of mass killings, along with 148 pro-Assad fighters and 125 security personnel. Official government figures have not been released.
The Syrian government has blamed the escalation on remnants of Assad's forces, labeling the violence as a result of "individual actions." In response to the attacks, authorities have launched military operations to regain control of the affected areas.
Witnesses have described horrifying scenes of mass executions and brutal revenge killings. One survivor from the coastal town of Baniyasin recounted how Sunni gunmen loyal to the government carried out retaliatory attacks against Alawite civilians.
"They dragged people into the streets, lined them up, and executed them," the witness told media personnel. "They killed everyone—no one was spared."
Fearing for his life, a man said he managed to escape by hiding in a garbage bin before fleeing under cover of darkness.
Other reports gathered by the Associated Press indicate that Alawite men were gunned down at their homes, while residences were looted and set on fire.
SOHR director Rami Abdurrahman called the killings "one of the biggest massacres in the Syrian conflict."
In an effort to contain the violence, Syrian authorities have closed all roads leading to the coastal region to "restore order and prevent further bloodshed," according to state media. Power and water supplies in large parts of Latakia were also cut off.
A Defense Ministry official, speaking to state media, claimed that government forces had regained control over most of the territory seized by Assad loyalists.
Meanwhile, mass burials have taken place in areas devastated by the violence. In the village of Tuwaym, 31 victims—including nine children and four women—were laid to rest in a communal grave. Funerals were also held for security personnel killed in the fighting.
SOHR’s initial death toll of over 200 was later revised to more than 1,000, as the full scale of the carnage became apparent.
