Syria’s Sharaa vows accountability over coastal region violence

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has vowed to hold accountable those responsible for the deadly violence in the coastal region over the weekend, after hundreds of civilians were killed.

In a wide-ranging interview with Reuters published on Monday, Sharaa described Syria as a “state of law”, stating that the government would ensure justice is served. 

He emphasised that the law would take its course, saying: “We fought to defend the oppressed, and we won’t accept any blood being shed unjustly, nor will we allow any incident to go unpunished, even among those closest to us.”

Sharaa blamed a former military unit loyal to ousted president Bashar al-Assad’s brother, Maher, and an unspecified foreign power for the recent outbreaks of violence. 

He did, however, acknowledge that multiple groups had entered Syria’s coastal areas amid the clashes with Assad loyalists, leading to violations. 

According to Sharaa, the unrest became “an opportunity for revenge” stemming from years of pent-up grievances, although he claimed the situation had now largely been brought under control.

He admitted that the violence posed a serious challenge to his efforts to unite Syria. 

“This will impact this path,” he said, but expressed his commitment to “rectify the situation as much as we can”.

The violence began on Thursday when gunmen loyal to Assad launched attacks on secuirty forces in the coastal region, home to members of the Alawi community, to which Assad and most of his loyalists belong. 

Clashes spiralled into revenge attacks on civilians, leaving hundreds dead and thousands displaced.

Civilians belonging to the Alawi community were particularly targeted.

The new Syrian administration’s defence ministry said it had completed its operations against “regime remnants” in the area but residents reported the violence reduced but didn’t end. 

The Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR) has documented 779 “extrajudicial killings” since Thursday, saying it did not count the deaths of Assad loyalists in combat.

This includes 211 civilians and 179 security personnel killed by Assad loyalists, and 396 civilians and unarmed loyalists killed by armed groups and security forces.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based activist group that monitors the war, put the total death toll at over 1,000.

While Sharaa did not specify the foreign actor involved in the pro-Assad attacks, he hinted at a party that had “lost out from the new reality in Syria”, which many interpreted as a reference to long-standing ally Iran. Tehran has denied any involvement in the unrest.

On Sunday, Sharaa announced the establishment of an independent committee tasked with investigating the violence. 

The interior ministry on Tuesday said it arrested four people accused of committing “illegal and violent violations against civilians in one of the coastal villages”, according to the official news agency Sana. 

Israel, US and Russia 

On the topic of Syria’s relationship with the US, Sharaa reiterated that security and economic prosperity were dependent on the lifting of American sanctions.

“We cannot establish security in the country with sanctions still in place against us,” he told Reuters. 

He also noted that there had been no direct contact with the Trump administration since it took office, adding: “Syria’s door is open.”

'They [Israel] are the last ones who can talk'

- Ahmed al-Sharaa

Sharaa also discussed Syria’s relationship with Russia, calling the ties “key” to the country’s stability.

“We do not want there to be a rift between Syria and Russia, and we want to preserve these deep strategic relations,” he explained.

He added that his forces had “tolerated” Russian bombardment during the December rebel assault that ousted Assad, to allow space for dialogue after “liberation".

The comments come amid a tense exchange with Israel, after its Defence Minister Israel Katz described Sharaa as a “jihadist terrorist of the al-Qaeda school”. 

Sharaa dismissed these remarks as “nonsense” and pointed out that Israel has been responsible for the deaths of tens of thousands in Gaza and Lebanon in the past 18 months.

“They are the last ones who can talk,” Sharaa said.