OAN Staff Blake Wolf
1:31 PM – Friday, March 14, 2025
The United Nations revealed that entire families were executed during the recent explosion of violence in Syria in what appears to be revenge killings stemming from the collapse of the Assad regime.
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The vast majority of the victims were Alawite minorities residing within Syria’s coastal region. A UN spokesman stated that the murder of 111 civilians since last Thursday has been verified, although the actual figure is believed to be significantly higher.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights claims that the civilian death toll is at least up to 1,200 with the vast majority being Alawites.
The attacks are believed to have been carried out by supporters of Syria’s interim President, Ahmad al-Sharaa, following an ambush on a security patrol by loyalists of the former Assad regime.
“In a number of extremely disturbing instances, entire families — including women, children and individuals hors de combat — were killed, with predominantly Alawite cities and villages targeted in particular,” stated UN spokesperson Thameen Al-Kheetan.
“According to many testimonies collected by our office, perpetrators raided houses, asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before proceeding to either kill or spare them accordingly. Some survivors told us that many men were shot dead in front of their families,” he continued.
“All those found responsible for violations must be held to account, regardless of their affiliation, in line with international law norms and standards. Victims and their families have the right to truth, justice and reparations,” Kheetan added.
Syria’s former president, Bashar al-Assad, was an Alawite, which is believed to be a motive for targeting the Alawite minority.
A spokesman for the new government’s recently created investigation committee claimed that it was already “gathering and reviewing evidence” to prepare an upcoming report on the matter.
“No-one is above the law. The committee will relay all the results to the entity that launched it, the presidency, and the judiciary,” the spokesman stated.
Meanwhile, a woman speaking with the BBC stated that armed men attacked children in her family two months ago “just because our president was Alawite.”
“My nephews were 11 and 12 years old. They rounded them up and lined up all the other young Alawite men,” the woman stated. “One of them asked his friend about our religion. He said, ‘They are Alawites,’ so he pointed his gun and killed all the men in front of him.”
“They see us as guilty just because our president was Alawite. But the truth is we are the poorest. Our young men joined the military only to be taken to fight and to be killed,” she added.
Prior to seizing power, al-Sharaa was a jihadist with ties to ISIS and Al Qaeda. His group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, also known as HTS, split from Al Qaeda in 2017 and was able to seize power due to Assad’s allies, Iran and Russia, unable to financially support his regime.
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