Syria: Pro-Assad 'remnants' kill police officers in ambush

Forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad killed 14 police officers affiliated with the new government in Tartus, western Syria, on Wednesday, an official statement said.

According to the new interior minister, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, “remnants” of the Assad government carried out an “ambush” in Tartus, a stronghold of Assad supporters, killing a group of police officers and wounding 10 others. 

In response, the Syrian military leadership on Thursday launched an operation in the Tartus countryside to pursue Assad loyalists, the Syrian News Agency (Sana) reported.

The operation seeks to "control security, stability and civil peace, and to pursue the remnants of Assad's militias in the woods and hills," according to Sana.

Mohammed Othman, the newly appointed governor of Latakia, which adjoins Tartus, met with Alawite religious leaders to "encourage community cohesion and civil peace on the Syrian coast", SANA added.

Abdul Rahman pledged to pursue “anyone who dares to undermine Syria’s security or endanger the lives of its citizens”.

Protests have taken place in several Syrian cities since Wednesday after an old video resurfaced showing the vandalism of an Alawite shrine in Aleppo.

The unrest prompted police to impose a curfew in the cities of Homs, Latakia, Jableh and Tartus until 8am (5am GMT) on Thursday. 

The interior ministry said those circulating the video are seeking to ignite sectarian tensions in the country, a fortnight after rebels ended the five-decade rule of the Assad dynasty, which hails from the minority Alawite sect.

In a statement on Telegram, the ministry clarified that the video dates back to late November. It shows masked armed men from an unidentified group posing next to human bodies at the Alawite shrine in Aleppo during the rebel offensive on the city.

Iran concerns

Members of the Alawite sect dominated Assad's security and armed forces and are accused of being responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of Syrians during the anti-Assad uprising that began in 2011.

Their backing by Assad's regional ally, Iran, has added a sectarian dimension to the 13-year conflict with predominantly Sunni Muslim rebels.

The killings on Thursday mark the first major security challenge for the new government, which came to power after a largely bloodless operation that successfully forced Assad and his forces to relinquish control.

On 8 December, as opposition rebels seized the capital, Damascus, Assad and his family fled to Russia, his government's main international backer, where he was granted asylum.

The new leader and head of the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has vowed to protect minorities, including Assad’s Alawite community. 

However, fears of sectarian tensions remain high. In response, the new information ministry has imposed a ban on "the circulation or publication of any media content or news with a sectarian tone aimed at spreading division" among Syrians.

Syria's new foreign minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, has called on Iran to respect the will of the Syrian people following a message from Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei urging Syrian youth to "stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity".

Khamenei said "that a strong and honourable group will also emerge in Syria because, today, Syrian youth have nothing to lose".

"We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria, and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks," Shibani said.