Overview
- Thousands rallied in Latakia, Tartus and other areas after the Dec. 26 bombing of an Alawite mosque in Homs that killed eight and wounded 18.
- Demonstrations were urged by exiled cleric Ghazal Ghazal, with protesters demanding decentralisation or federalism and the release of Alawite detainees.
- Latakia’s media office and state outlets reported three dead and dozens wounded, while the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said security forces killed at least two protesters.
- Security forces moved to separate Alawite crowds from supporters of the new Islamist authorities, firing into the air as clashes and injuries were also reported in Jableh and Homs.
- The Defense Ministry said armored vehicles and tanks were sent to Latakia and Tartus, and no arrests have been announced in the mosque bombing claimed by Saraya Ansar al-Sunna.