VIA THE CHRISTIAN POST –
Christians and other religious minorities in Syria are sounding the alarm as more than 1,000 people have been killed since last Thursday in what rights groups describe as some of the worst atrocities since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December.
The violence, centered in Syria’s coastal regions, has primarily targeted Alawites, Christians and other minority communities, GB News reported, explaining that tensions escalated after an ambush on a security patrol near Latakia by gunmen loyal to Assad. This triggered a severe response from forces linked to Syria’s Islamist-led interim government.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 745 of the dead were civilians, many of whom were killed in shootings. Hundreds of others were members of security forces or militants.
Witnesses and local monitors cited in media described the unfolding events as “sectarian massacres.”
Rami Abdulrahman, director of the SOHR, said the violence aims to expel Alawite families from their homes, with many residences looted and burned in the cities of Jableh and Baniyas. The Alawites were closely associated with Assad’s regime.
Videos and reports from the region depict harrowing scenes of mass graves, bound bodies and devastated villages. In one instance, 69 Alawite civilians were reportedly executed during a security sweep.
Thousands of Alawites and Christians have fled their homes, with hundreds seeking refuge at the Russian military base in Hmeimim in Latakia.
The Christian community had already dwindled during Syria’s decade-long civil war. Christians are seen by Islamist factions as politically and ideologically aligned with the former regime and as obstacles to the establishment of an Islamist-led government. While reports suggest Christians have also been targeted in the violence, it is unclear how many Christians have been killed.
Patriarchs from the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox and Melkite Greek Catholic Churches issued a joint statement condemning the violence.
“Homes have been violated, their sanctity disregarded, and properties looted — scenes that starkly reflect the immense suffering endured by the Syrian people,” the joint statement reads. “The Christian Churches while strongly condemning any act that threatens civil peace, denounce and condemn the massacres targeting innocent civilians, and call for an immediate end to these horrific acts, which stand in stark opposition to all human and moral values.”
“The Churches also call for the swift creation of conditions conducive to achieving national reconciliation among the Syrian people,” the added. “They urge efforts to establish an environment that facilitates the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and lays the foundation for a society based on equal citizenship and genuine partnership, free from the logic of vengeance and exclusion.”