Syria’s fragile post-Assad transition faced a new test on Sunday as protests led by members of the Alawite minority and pro-government counter-protesters turned violent in the coastal city of Latakia, underscoring deep political and sectarian tensions following last year’s change of power. The Alawite community together with other minorities such as the Druze community had faced repeated unrest and discrimination.
Demonstrations erupted across Latakia and Tartous on the Mediterranean coast, as well as in the central cities of Homs and Hama, after calls for decentralised governance, political federalism and self-determination. The rallies were organised following a deadly mosque bombing in an Alawite neighbourhood of Homs earlier in the week— an attack that heightened fears within a community already unsettled by months of instability.
Provincial officials and independent monitors reported that the protests in Latakia descended into chaos, resulting in at least three deaths and dozens of injuries. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that security forces opened fire while attempting to disperse demonstrators, though authorities said they had “contained the situation” without confirming the use of live ammunition. Officials reported that unidentified armed elements initiated the gunfire, resulting in the death of one security officer.
The unrest refocused attention on the Alawite minority, closely linked to Bashar al-Assad’s former government. Since his removal in late 2024, coastal areas that have long been considered regime strongholds have remained unstable, with new Sunni-led authorities prioritising security while rejecting demands seen as threatening national unity.
Interior Ministry officials said the protests were driven by separatist rhetoric, and they accused the remnants of the former regime of exploiting public anger to destabilise the country. Army units were deployed in the central districts of Latakia and Tartous, in coordination with internal security forces, which they claimed was to restore order and prevent the spread of violence.
The demonstrations followed the bombing of a mosque in Homs that killed eight people. A Sunni extremist group claimed responsibility, and officials condemned the attack, saying investigations were ongoing.
One protester said the gatherings were about dignity and political rights rather than division, calling for a federal system similar to other multi-regional states.
