Syria accuses Iran of fueling the conflict and inciting "Assad remnants"

After hundreds were killed in two days, Syria accuses Iran of fueling the conflict and inciting "Assad remnants"

The Syrian Ministry of Information accused Iran of inciting the remnants of the ousted Syrian President, Bashar al-Assad, after hundreds were killed in the past two days, and announced that government forces had tightened their control over the cities of Latakia and Tartous, while cleansing operations are still ongoing in rural areas.

Regarding the unrest in Syria, Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmail Baghaei said, without referring to a specific party: "Tehran is closely monitoring the internal developments in Syria, and is following with great concern the news and reports published about violence and insecurity in different parts of the country."

Baghhaei stressed that Iran strongly opposes insecurity, violence, killing and harming innocent civilians in Syria from any group or sect, and believes that this paves the way for the exacerbation of instability in the region and the increase of sedition by third parties, especially Israel.

Saudi Arabia and Turkey condemned the attacks by Assad supporters, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jassim Mohammed Al-Boudawi, said that the council stands with Damascus in all efforts and measures it takes to maintain the security and stability of the Syrian people.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that at least 340 Alawite civilians were killed in the past two days, while the Syrian General Security Directorate confirmed the arrest of an armed group that committed violations against civilians.

In his first reaction to these violent acts, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa promised that anyone who attacks civilians will be held responsible, stressing that government forces will pursue the remnants of the former ousted regime and bring them to justice.

Assad forces attack

On Thursday, March 6, forces loyal to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad launched a bloody attack in the country's coastal region, which officials described as one of the most violent acts against government forces in Syria since the opposition came to power.

Meanwhile, a source in the Syrian Defense Ministry told the official news agency that military and security forces were carrying out operations against pro-Assad forces in the city of Qardaha, the birthplace of the Assad family. The Syrian army also entered the city of Jableh and took full control of the naval forces college.

At the same time, Arab media reported that 90 members of the Syrian armed forces and security administration and 160 members of the former regime forces were killed in the clashes.

Assad supporters in Syria’s only sea lane

Forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad are present in Syria’s only sea lane on the country’s western coast, next to the Mediterranean Sea, which is 183 kilometers long.

The proximity of the mountains to the sea and the complex geography of this area, which covers an area of ​​more than four thousand square kilometers, have made it difficult for government forces in Syria to pursue these groups.

This area includes the provinces of Tartous and Latakia, where the Alawites constitute the majority of the population, and over the past decades it was the main support base for the former regime. However, a mix of Sunnis and Christians also live in the area. The population of the two provinces before the Syrian civil war was estimated at around 1.8 million.

Syria’s coast has three major ports, which were under Russian control under Moscow’s agreement with Assad. The largest port in the area is Latakia, followed by Tartus, and Banias is specifically designated for exporting oil abroad.

The latest escalation marks a turning point in the escalation of tensions in the coastal region, a major Alawite heartland, and now a major security challenge for Syria’s interim president, Ahmad al-Sharaa, who is trying to consolidate his control over the country.

Alawite activists have said that their community, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia, has become a target of violence and attacks since Assad’s fall. While Sharaa has promised to run Syria inclusively, and despite meeting with members of other minorities, including Christians and Druze, he has yet to meet with prominent Alawite leaders.