Overview
- The Defence Ministry said army units with tanks and armored vehicles entered Latakia and Tartous to restore stability after clashes linked to Alawite-led demonstrations.
- State media and local officials reported three dead and about 60 wounded in Latakia, while the Syrian Observatory said security forces killed two, and an AP reporter counted at least four fatalities.
- Protests were called by Alawite cleric Ghazal Ghazal, with demonstrators demanding federalism and the release of detainees in coastal and central areas including Latakia, Tartous and Homs.
- Authorities cited attacks by “remnants of the former regime,” with reports of gunfire at Latakia’s Azhari roundabout and a grenade injuring security personnel at a police station in Baniyas, Tartous.
- Friday’s blast at the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib mosque in Homs killed eight and wounded 18, and while Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility online, officials have announced no arrests and the probe continues.