Beirut: Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday called on insurgents from the Alawite minority, previously led by ousted president Bashar al-Assad, to surrender after experiencing severe attacks against the country's new rulers.
According to National News Agency - Lebanon, Syria's security forces executed 162 Alawites in a significant operation in the ethnic group's Mediterranean heartland, an action prompted by deadly clashes with Assad loyalists the previous day. Al-Sharaa addressed the situation via a speech broadcast on Telegram by the Syrian presidency, urging the insurgents to surrender their weapons.
"You attacked all Syrians and made an unforgivable mistake. The riposte has come, and you have not been able to withstand it," al-Sharaa stated, adding a call to the insurgents to relinquish their arms before further consequences ensue.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that over 250 individuals have lost their lives since the clashes began on Thursday along the country's western coast. These recent hostilities follow a series of violent incidents in the region earlier in the week. Restoring security remains a challenging task for Syria's new authorities, who assumed power after Islamist-led forces ousted Assad in December.
In his address, al-Sharaa, who led the coalition responsible for toppling Assad, reiterated his commitment to consolidating weaponry under state control. "There will be no more unregulated weapons," he assured. Western powers and Syria's neighboring countries have underscored the importance of unity in the new Syria, which is seeking international support to rebuild a nation devastated by prolonged conflict under Assad's regime.