At least three people have been killed and 60 wounded during protests in Syria which erupted into violence just days after a deadly attack on an Alawite site of worship in Homs left eight others dead.
Hundreds of Alawite Syrians have taken to the streets in Latakia, Tartous and Jableh, two days after an Alawite mosque bombing killed eight people in Homs on Friday.
Syria’s state-run news agency, Sana, said the attack hit the Imam Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque with black, scorched walls, smashed windows and blood on the carpet.
Officials believe that an explosive was detonated inside the building, Sana reports, citing a security source. While authorities are still searching for the perpetrators, armed group Saraya Ansar al-Sunnah said it was behind the explosion.
The mosque is located in the Wadi al-Dhahab neighbourhood, where most people are part of the Alawite ethnoreligious group.
Sunday’s demonstrations were called for by Ghazal Ghazal, an Alawite cleric living outside of Syria who heads a group called the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and Abroad.
He urged Alawites in Syria to join mass peaceful marches from 12pm (09:00 GMT) until 5pm to reject the recent killings in the Homs mosque attack while demanding a federal government system in Syria.
“We do not want a civil war and it is our right to determine our destiny,” Ghazal was quoted as saying by Syrian media.
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His call led to the mass demonstrations in central and western parts of the country that resulted in clashes with the security forces.
Allegations are being shared online by pro-Iranian media that Syrian government forces opened fire on Alawite protesters to disperse the crowd, however, this claim has been denied.
Al Jazeera reported that an Associated Press photographer in Latakia saw pro-government counter-protesters throw rocks at the Alawite demonstrators, while a group of protesters beat a counter-demonstrator who crossed to their side.
Security forces tried to break up the two sides and fired into the air in an attempt to disperse them. Demonstrators were injured in the scuffles, but the extent of the casualty figures remains unclear at this time.
According to local reports, during the anti-government demonstrations, which saw a heavy presence of security forces, slogans demanding a federal system of governance have been chanted.
Sectarian clashes resurface
In March, an ambush carried out by supporters of the former Al-Assad regime against security forces triggered days of violence that killed hundreds of people, most of them Alawites.
Although the situation has calmed since, members of the religious minority to which al-Assad belongs have alleged that they are still being targeted. However, authorities have warned that armed pro-Assad terrorist cells remain active in coastal areas.
During the reign of the al-Assad dynasty, Alawites were overrepresented in government jobs and in the army and military.
Al-Assad fled Syria to Russia after rebel fighters overran his military and government in December 2024.
According to Al Jazeera, Alawite protesters carried pictures of Ghazal Ghazal along with banners expressing support for him, suggesting he has become the spiritual leader of the sect following Assad’s fall. Placards also called for an end to “sectarian speech.”
Fears remain high that forces loyal to the former regime may be planning future attacks in an attempt to spark a new round of the bloody civil war which saw hundreds of thousands of Syrians killed and millions more displaced.
