Clashes in Syria highlight sectarian tensions
Syrian security forces reported six Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) fighters killed in clashes while attempting to arrest a former Assad regime official. The incident occurred amid rising sectarian tensions following the unexpected fall of Bashar al-Assad's government earlier this month.
Protests and violence have emerged across Syria, particularly involving the Alawite minority community. In Damascus, clashes between Alawite and Sunni protesters resulted in reported gunfire. Similar demonstrations occurred in Homs, Hama, and coastal regions, with protesters demanding the release of former Syrian army soldiers now held by HTS. The situation escalated when HTS forces suppressed a demonstration in Homs, resulting in one death and five injuries, leading to the imposition of a 6 PM to 8 AM curfew.
Tension further intensified following the circulation of a video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine, though interim authorities claim the footage is not recent. In a separate incident, fourteen Syrian police officers were killed and ten wounded in what the transitional administration described as an "ambush" by pro-Assad forces in the Tartous countryside.
The transition period has seen sporadic sectarian violence, though not at the scale initially feared given Syria's 14-year civil war history. Some displaced Syrians have begun returning home, particularly in the Idlib region, where reconstruction efforts are underway.
HTS, led by Ahmad al-Sharaa (formerly known as Abu Mohammed al-Golani), has pledged to establish a pluralistic system, though questions remain about power-sharing arrangements. The group, which previously had ties to al-Qaeda, now faces the challenge of maintaining order while managing tensions between various religious and ethnic communities in post-Assad Syria.
