Armed Sunni groups, considered loyal to the new regime after Assad’s removal, have begun retaliatory killings against Alawites, deepening Syria’s sectarian divide. This challenges the power of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a significant role in removing Assad from power.

For two days, Rihab Kamel and her family hid terrified in their bathroom in the city of Baniyas as armed men stormed the neighbourhood, pursuing members of Syria’s Alawite minority. The coastal city is part of Syria’s Alawite heartland that has been gripped by the fiercest violence since former president Bashar al-Assad was toppled in December.

Once empowered by the regime, many Alawites now face reprisals from rebel factions and displaced Sunni populations who suffered under Assad's rule.

An ambush on a Syrian security patrol near Latakia by pro-Assad gunmen has ignited days of clashes, leading to over 1,000 deaths and deepening sectari

More than 1,300 dead in a few days - US condemns "Islamist terrorists & foreign jihadists who murder civilians" - Turkey supports the jihadists - Washington & Moscow call for a Security Council meetin

The killing of at least 745 civilians in massacres targeting the Alawite minority in Syria exposes the criminality of NATO powers that support and legitimize the Islamist HTS regime.

It accounts for around 10% of Syria's population, which is predominantly Sunni Muslim. Assad belonged to the sect. However, since the civil war intensified, different militant groups have been targeting Alawites for their ties with Assad and his military allies.