Serious concerns are mounting in Syria as forces aligned with the Islamist government in Damascus have begun targeting minority groups, including Alawites and Christians, in western Syria immediately following US President Donald Trump's announcement to lift sanctions, according to a Syrian organization citing firsthand accounts. The wave of violence has been documented in footage showing government forces abusing minorities in the Homs region. Other videos reveal the bodies of victims.
"We believe this story deserves serious investigation," Sarah Ali, a Syrian member of the organization living in the West, told Israel Hayom. "This story isn't just about Syria – it's about whether US foreign policy is once again sacrificing human rights and protection of minorities for short-term political or geopolitical gain."
A source in western Syria confirmed to Israel Hayom that forces loyal to interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Muhammad al-Julani) have attacked and kidnapped Alawites in the Homs region and other areas. According to the source, in one case, contact was lost with a mother and her young child after they passed near the Hmeimim bridge. In another case, the source notes, a female student disappeared.
The Western Syrian Alliance (WSA) is an organization operating from Washington that was established in early May to protect Alawites, Christians, and other communities at risk. The organization believes in the right to self-determination, preservation of cultural identity, and the creation of a protected autonomous region in western Syria. In a warning letter signed by researchers affiliated with the organization, they alert about renewed massacres receiving no coverage in international media.
According to the Syrian organization's warning letter, "Hours after US President Trump announced the lifting of sanctions, there was a dramatic increase in the number of attacks on areas populated by minorities. According to recent documentation, at least 52 crimes against Alawites have been documented since May 13. These include killings and mass arrests, with most victims being men between the ages of 14 and 64." The authors estimate that the number of victims could be larger as the attacks continue.
In March, the Syrian Center for Human Rights reported that more than 700 people, including children and elderly, were killed in Alawite areas in western Syria. However, among Alawites, the estimate is that the number is much larger and already counts 7,000 murdered.
The organization told Israel Hayom that "Trump's statements regarding the lifting of sanctions, even before the publication of the UN fact-finding committee's report on the massacre carried out in western Syria that is still ongoing – raise concerns and questions about the timing and implications of this decision. At a time when de facto control of parts of Syria remains in the hands of jihadist factions led by Ahmed al-Sharaa (also known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani), a critical question arises – does this step constitute implicit support for ongoing violations against indigenous populations in the region, including Alawites, Christians, and Druze? Taking such a step at such a sensitive point may be interpreted as a retreat from principles of justice and responsibility and may expose the community to additional dangers."
The letter described that the most severe escalation occurred last Wednesday in the village of Hadidah and its surroundings, in the western suburbs of Homs. "The operation included killings, torture, looting, and attacks on Alawite civilians. Farmers were pursued in fields and shot, young and old were arrested and humiliated. Phones were confiscated, houses were looted," the Syrian organization wrote. "Non-Alawite residents were left unharmed while Alawites were arrested, beaten, or disappeared." According to the organization's data, 24 were arrested in the village of Hadidah; in Ein al-Tina, about 50 people were killed, injured, or arrested; in another settlement, 22 Alawites were arrested, beaten, and looted. It should be noted that Syrians who are arrested generally do not return, and there is serious concern that they are executed. These events occurred while al-Julani was meeting with the US president in Riyadh.
In the letter, the authors add that "the atrocities continue and residents report bodies left lying in fields or at intersections as their families fear collecting them for burial." They noted that the attacks are carried out, among others, by armed men from the town of Talkalakh, a Sunni Muslim town surrounded by Alawite settlements.
The letter also states that the armed men were accompanied by official figures, including the head of the Hadidah sub-district. Attacks on dozens of civilians were also carried out over the weekend. The authors warn that such events could expand and are a direct result of legitimizing actors with a jihadist background.
