Overview

• The Syrian Network for Human Rights and other monitors report widespread field executions and mass killings in Alawite-majority areas, allegedly carried out by forces loyal to the interim government.
• Approximately 750 civilians, including Alawites, Christians, and Druze, have reportedly been killed in the violence, alongside significant losses among government forces and Assad loyalists.
• The crisis began Thursday when pro-Assad militias ambushed government forces, prompting heavy counterattacks and alleged retaliatory massacres by government-aligned fighters.
• Videos and eyewitness accounts describe harrowing acts of violence, including summary executions, raising concerns about the interim government's ability to control its security forces and prevent sectarian reprisals.
• Interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa has condemned the violence, called for national unity, and announced investigations, but international criticism and skepticism about his administration's control have intensified.