In Syria's Alawite area, joy at Assad fall but fear of Islamism
2024-12-16 16:00:02 - From: Al monitor
In the Assad clan's former heartland of Latakia, many in the toppled president's Alawite minority are relieved that his iron-clad rule has come to an end.
But they fear marginalisation -- and even worse, reprisals -- from the Islamist-led rebels who overthrew him.
The alliance spearheaded by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which seized Damascus and ousted Bashar al-Assad on December 8 after a lightning offensive, has sought to reassure minority communities in the Sunni Muslim majority country.
