SYRIA has descended into bloody carnage, with 1,000 slaughtered, naked women paraded before getting shot and executions in the street.
On Thursday, forces loyal to the deposed dictator Bashar al-Assad carried out an unexpected attack on the military of Syria’s new governing body, leading to days of intense violence.
The ongoing clashes represent the most severe outbreak of hostility since Assad’s oppressive administration was overthrown by the extremist organization Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) in December.
The new government said it was responding to attacks from remnants of Assad’s forces – and blamed “individual actions” for the heinous violence.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a total of 745 civilians, primarily in massacres, have lost their lives in addition to 125 members of government security forces and 148 fighters belonging to pro-Assad armed groups.
Electricity and drinking water were also cut off in prominent areas around the city of Latakia as the clashing country entered into its third day of bloodshed.
Violence began to erupt on Thursday when pro-Assad militants launched an ambush on Syrian security forces in the Latakia region – where many of the minority Alawites, who made up Assad’s support base live.
On Friday, Sunni Muslim gunmen loyal to the government began revenge killings against members of Assad’s minority Alawite sect, terrified residents say.
Witnesses revealed how women were reportedly inhumanely forced to “walk naked” on the streets before being shot dead.
And a teenage boy was also handed a rifle and forced to shoot his own family, reports claim.
One resident of the west coast city Baniyas in Syria told Sky News: “They forcibly brought people down to the streets, then they lined them up and started shooting them.
“They left nobody. They left nobody at all.
“The scene that I saw was pure horror – it’s just indescribable.”
The terrified citizen added that he hid in a bin before managing to desperately flee in the night.
Another resident, Ali Sheha, 57, fled his home with his family and neighbours just hours after the brutal violence began to unfold.
He said that at least 20 of his neighbours and colleagues in one neighbourhood of Baniyas – where Alawites lived – were killed.
Some of those brutally murdered were innocently shopping in the city or in their homes.
Residents claim that the gunmen included foreign fighters and militants from neighbouring villages and towns.
Sheha said: “It was very very bad. Bodies were on the streets.”
Homes have also been looted and set on fire, two residents of Syria’s coastal region said.
Syrian leader Ahmed Sharaa called for peace on Sunday following 48 hours of carnage and the death toll surpassing 1,000.
He said: “We have to preserve national unity and domestic peace, we can live together.
“Rest assured about Syria, this country has the characteristics for survival.
“What is currently happening in Syria is within the expected challenges.”
The Observatory’s chief Rami Abdurrahman said the revenge killings stopped early on Saturday – but dozens of innocent civilians had already lost their lives.
He said: “This was one of the biggest massacres during the Syrian conflict.”
Syria’s state news agency reported that all roads leading to the coastal region have been shut off in an attempt to “prevent violations and gradually restore stability”.
It added that government forces have regained control of much of the areas from Assad loyalists, citing a Defence Ministry official.
The bodies of 31 people killed in revenge attacks that tragically include nine children and four children, were laid to rest in a mass grave, residents said.
A funeral was also held for four Syrian security force members in the northwestern village of Al-Janoudiya.
Under Assad, Alawites held top posts in the army and security agencies.
The new government has blamed his loyalists for attacks against the country’s new security forces over the past several weeks.
The civil war that has been raging in Syria since March 2011 has left more than half a million people dead and millions displaced.
The new government has pledged to unite Syria after 14 years of civil war.
Dozens of exiled fighters from the militant Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched a surprise offensive against Vladimir Putin’s ally President Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December.
This marked the conclusion of a regime notorious for its brutality, including chemical attacks, mass detentions, and the decimation of Syrian cities.
But challenges remain as Syrians celebrate, but hopes rise for a democratic future after years of war.
His fall not only signals the collapse of a dynastic dictatorship but also underscores the cost of clinging to power through terror.
Bashar al-Assad has left behind a shattered nation.
He decimated Syria’s infrastructure, fractured its society, and plunged millions into despair.
The dramatic rise and fall of dictator Bashar al-Assad
Assad’s rule over Syria ended in dramatic fashion after rebel forces stormed Damascus in a surprise offensive, forcing the dictator to flee to Russia.
This marked the conclusion of a regime notorious for its brutality, including chemical attacks, mass detentions, and the decimation of Syrian cities.
His life took a dramatic turn in 1994 when his elder brother, Bassel, the family’s chosen heir, died in a car accident.
Bashar was abruptly recalled to Syria and groomed for power.
Initially, hope stirred for reform as Bashar promised modernisation, anti-corruption measures, and political openness.
But the so-called “Damascus Spring” was short-lived.
Within a year, Assad cracked down on dissenters, signalling the beginning of his authoritarian rule.
The Assad regime quickly devolved into a kleptocracy, with Assad and his extended family siphoning wealth while suppressing opposition.
The Syrian Civil War became a geopolitical quagmire.
Assad, backed by Russia and Iran, portrayed himself as a bulwark against terrorism while cynically releasing jihadist prisoners to bolster extremist factions.
This fuelled the rise of groups like ISIS, reshaping global terror.
The end of Assad’s reign came abruptly in December 2024, as rebel forces launched a lightning offensive, exploiting weakened Syrian defences.
Rebels captured Damascus in a lightning campaign, declaring the capital “free” and marking the end of years of brutal authoritarian rule.
With Russia mired in Ukraine and Iran preoccupied with regional conflicts, Assad’s regime was left vulnerable.
Rebels stormed Aleppo, marking a symbolic victory, and Assad fled Damascus.
Assad left aboard a military plane amid rumours of its crash before resurfacing in Moscow, where Vladimir Putin granted him asylum.
It comes as an apparent Russian conspiracy to distribute false news about an al-Assad ‘aircraft accident’ has been exposed.
The Ukrainian Centre for Strategic Communication and Information Security claimed on X that Russia “hid their trail” in assisting al-Assad’s escape by circulating fake claims that he died in a crash.
Meanwhile, opposition forces took control of key cities, toppled Assad’s statues, and announced plans for a transitional government.
The fall of Assad deals a blow to allies Russia and Iran, with both withdrawing assets from Syria.
