Clashes Erupt In ‘The New Syria’ After Locals Ambush & Kill HTS Fighters

Via The Cradle

Clashes raged in Syria on Thursday between the remnants of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the currently-ruling Hayat Tahrir-Sham (HTS) extremist group several hours after over a dozen HTS militants were killed in the western Tartous governorate.  

Violent armed clashes were recorded by citizens in Tartous on Thursday. Video footage also showed positions of the SAA’s 25th Division stationed in the Latakia mountains in western Syria. 

Intense clashes rage into their second day in Tartus, Syria, between Syrian Arab Army resistance cells and forces loyal to the new government.

Footage captured by a local woman from her home offers a close-up view of the chaos, showing militants exchanging fire directly below… pic.twitter.com/jtsokMHdqO

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) December 26, 2024

HTS-led authorities announced on Thursday that they confiscated weapons belonging to former government soldiers in the Damascus countryside.

HTS’s Military Operations Administration has launched a security operation to confiscate SAA weapons and arrest “those who incite” sedition, according to a source from Syria’s new Ministry of Interior cited by Al-Watan newspaper. 

Fourteen HTS militants and three armed men were killed in combat Wednesday evening in Tartous, in what was initially reported as an ambush by former government loyalists and soldiers. 

Syria’s Interior Minister Mohammad Abdul Rahman confirmed on Thursday the killing of 14 HTS security personnel and the injury of 10 others carried out by “remnants of the former regime.”

Shooting by Jolani’s Elements at Alawite and Christian Homes

Clashes between terrorist groups and locals near Tartus, Syria, have reportedly left 9 dead. In Khirbet al-Maazza, villagers resisted the terrorists, firing back to defend their homes and communities.#Syria pic.twitter.com/pAuJlv0dpP

— Haidar Al-Karrar  (@HaidarAkarar) December 26, 2024

According to UK-based war monitor the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the HTS militants were killed while trying to arrest an officer linked to the former government-run Sednaya prison – where thousands of prisoners were released after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government on December 8. 

The incident came as unrest quickly spread across Syria in the past 24 hours after protests by Alawite citizens erupted across the country due to the emergence of a video showing the burning and desecration of an Alawite shrine by extremist militants. 

Let’s see how many CIA funded pro-Democracy in Syria mouth pieces condemn HTS shooting at protesters. pic.twitter.com/2OSa2p1sHE

— Syrian Girl (@Partisangirl) December 26, 2024

Some reports said the undated video is new, while others said it dates back to the start of the 11-day offensive that began late last month and resulted in the collapse of the Assad government. 

The video shows the resting place of Hassan bin Hamdan al-Khusaibi, a highly revered Alawite figure, on fire. The militants reportedly killed several people present inside the shrine. Their bodies can be seen in the footage. 

Militants in Aleppo have burned the resting place and shrine of “al-Hassan bin Hamdan al-Khasibi (قدس)”, who is considered to be one of the most important figures in the Alawite sect and executed several people sheltering there accusing them of being SAA pic.twitter.com/H5PbrqD7Db

— Hassan Ridha (@sayed_ridha) December 25, 2024

Protests also stemmed from the killing of five Alawite judges in the Hama countryside on December 24. Syrian Christians have been protesting as well, triggered mainly by the burning of a Christmas tree in Hama days ago by foreign militants under HTS’s command. 

A curfew was imposed by authorities in Homs in response to the Alawite demonstrations, in which protestors were reportedly attacked by security forces of the new government, causing deaths and injuries. 

Clashes between locals and HTS-led authorities have left around nine dead.

This is disgusting! Humiliating #Alawite people like this is unacceptable. In this video, the gunman says, ‘You are an Alawite, so howl like dog!’ Such scenes are a stark reminder that ethnic and religious minorities In #Syria are at great risk. pic.twitter.com/mVeKoNjQ8d

— Mutlu Civiroglu (@mutludc) December 25, 2024

Alawite demonstrators have been detained and humiliated on camera. 

Horrifying images reveal what HTS is doing to the Alawites in Syria.
Deeply shocking, and should call on International community. pic.twitter.com/bn5JN9Q6na

— Jino Victoria Doabi ‏ژینو ویکتوریا دو‌آبی (@jvd9_) December 26, 2024

…welcome to the ‘new Syria’ after its ‘liberation’ following a decade plus long NATO-Gulf backed proxy war.