Foreign ministers of Türkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria met in Amman amid heightened violence in Syria’s coastal provinces - Anadolu Ajansı

The escalation in serious crimes across several villages and towns in the Latakia and Tartus governorates along the Syrian coast is deeply concerning

Security forces were seen on the streets of Latakia on Saturday, March 8, amid reports that hundreds of members of the Alawite minortiy were killed. The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said 745 Alawites were killed in “30 massacres” as part of “an ethnic cleansing operation” on Friday and Saturday.

Syrian presidency establishes commission to probe violent events that unfolded after coordinated attacks by Assad regime remnants - Anadolu Ajansı

Syria’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has launched an investigation into the deadly clashes in Latakia and Tartous, vowing to hold those responsible for civilian bloodshed accountable. The independent committee will submit its findings within 30 days as the government seeks to prevent further unrest.

The attack Thursday near the port city of Latakia reopened the wounds of the country’s 13-year civil war and sparked the worst violence Syria has seen since December, when insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad.

The resumption of hostilities in Syria could change everything, and the Russian military could suddenly find itself in a precarious and vulnerable position.

International alarm is growing over fighting in western Syria, where hundreds of civilians have been reportedly killed amid intense clashes.