Syria’s interim government has sent reinforcements to coastal cities in the country’s northwest, where security forces are engaged in heavy clashes with fighters loyal to former ruler Bashar al-Assad. The ongoing violence, which has reportedly claimed hundreds of lives, including many civilians, poses the most serious challenge to the new government’s authority since al-Assad’s removal in December 2024.
Security forces reported on Saturday that they had regained control of much of Tartous and Latakia governorates after coordinated attacks by Assad loyalists on military positions, security convoys, and checkpoints. Syria’s state news agency SANA cited an unnamed security official who said that following the attacks, some civilians in the coastal areas took matters into their own hands, leading to “individual violations” that authorities were working to contain.
A curfew remains in effect across Latakia and other coastal areas, which have long served as a stronghold for al-Assad’s Alawite minority. As fighting continues, dozens of civilians, former government officials, and their families have sought refuge at the Russian Khmeimim base in Latakia’s countryside.
Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, in his first public statement since the violence erupted, urged the fighters to surrender “before it is too late.” Al-Sharaa, who led the opposition forces that removed al-Assad, warned that the government would “pursue the remnants of the fallen regime” and bring them “to a fair court.”
By Saturday afternoon, reports from Damascus indicated that the intensity of the clashes had decreased, though sporadic skirmishes persisted on the outskirts of several towns. Defense Ministry spokesperson Hasan Abdel-Ghani confirmed that Assad loyalists had launched well-coordinated attacks the previous day, killing multiple security personnel across Latakia and Tartous.
The unrest comes as al-Sharaa’s government works to consolidate control amid ongoing Western sanctions and continued security threats, including the presence of Israeli troops in Syria’s southwest. The latest wave of violence could further destabilize the country.
“It was actually quite impressive that the new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa managed to keep a lid on things until now, but their bluff has been very much called,” said Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London.
