Over 130 killed in Syria as Assad loyalists take on pro-government forces

Afghan Voice Agency (AVA) - Monitoring: Syrian officials said the violence began when remnants loyal to Assad launched a deadly and planned attack on his own forces.
The violence has shaken efforts by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to consolidate control as his government struggles to lift U.S. sanctions and grapples with broader security challenges, particularly in the southwest, where Israel has said it will prevent a force from deploying in Damascus.
Syrians took to the streets to rally in support of the government in Damascus and other cities, while Saudi Arabia and Turkiye, both allies of the government, also signalled their backing.
Russia, which was a major backer of Assad but has sought to build ties with the new government, said it was alarmed by a deterioration in the security situation and called on all “respected” leaders of the country to stop the bloodshed.
Images from Al Mukhtareyah, in Latakia province, showed 20 men lying in close proximity some bloodied by the side of a road in the town centre. Alawi activists said the killings were on Friday and blamed them on gunmen affiliated with the ruling authorities.
A government spokesperson and two officials linked to the ruling authority did not respond to requests for comment.
A prominent Alawi cleric, Sheikh Shabaan Mansour, 86, was killed on Friday with his son in the village of Sahlab in western Syria. Residents accused fighters aligned with Damascus of killing him.
Syria's state news agency SANA, citing a security source, said "individual violations" occurred after the unorganized crowd moved towards the coastal area following attacks on government security personnel.
The violence escalated on Thursday when officials said pro-Assad militias targeted security patrols and checkpoints in the Jabla region and surrounding countryside, before spreading more widely.
A curfew was imposed on Friday in the coastal cities of Tartus and Latakia. Security forces carried out combing operations both in the cities and in the surrounding mountains.
Alawite activists say their community has been subjected to violence and attacks, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia, since Assad took power in December after decades of repressive family rule and civil war.
While he is legally obligated to govern Syria in an inclusive manner, unlike members of other minority groups, no meetings have been announced between him and senior Alawite figures.
The Assad government has heavily recruited from the Alawite community into its security apparatus and government bureaucracy.
While it has brought much of Syria under Damascus’s control, significant areas remain outside its control, including the northeast and east, which are under the control of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces.
“The chaos and disorder of the killings will undermine the confidence of foreign countries and Syrians in his government and its ability to lead Syria out of this difficult phase,” said Joshua Landis, director of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma.
A group of Alawite clerics, the Alawite Islamic Council, blamed the government for the violence, saying the fighters were sent to the coast “under the pretext of (fighting) ‘regime remnants’” to create fear and kill Syrians./Dawn News