Why Syria Violence Has Been Snowballing For Some Time, Clashes Between Govt And Assad’s Loyalists Explained

A regional security chief described the violence as a well-planned attack carried out by “remnants of the Assad militias", as mentioned by Reuters.

A war monitoring group, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said more than 70 people have been killed, BBC said.

For the first time, the new government forces deployed helicopters outfitted with machine guns around the mountainside of the coastal region, The New York Times reported quoting a government official, who asked not to be named. The helicopters were deployed to areas where armed Assad loyalists were stationed, the official added.

A curfew has been imposed in the northwestern cities of Latakia and Tartous, where the fighting has broken out.

Why Violence Has Been Simmering?

Since the ouster of Assad by Islamist insurgents led by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Sharaa’s efforts to reunite Syria after 13 years of civil war are facing myriad challenges. Among them is Israel’s declaration that it won’t tolerate HTS having a presence in the southwestern region near the Israeli frontier.

Tensions have been particularly flaring up in the mountainous coastal region where the Syrian government has deployed many of its forces and where residents reported hearing heavy gunfire in several cities and villages as tension spread on March 6, according to a report by Reuters.

State news agency SANA reported that security forces in Jableh had detained Ibrahim Huwaija, a top intelligence officer in the time of Assad’s late father Hafez.

A Syrian defence ministry official said security force operations in the Latakia area aimed to pursue armed groups including known war criminals affiliated with a prominent former Syrian army officer.

Authorities declared a curfew in the coastal city of Tartous where protests erupted. A resident said security forces fired guns to disperse crowds.

Earlier this week, two members of the defence ministry were killed in the city of Latakia by groups also identified by state media as remnants of pro-Assad militias.

Speaking to Al Jazeera, Rob Geist Pinfold, a lecturer in international security at King’s College London, said the current situation “has been unfortunately snowballing for some time". “It was actually quite impressive that the new government under Ahmed al-Sharaa has managed to keep a lid on things until now – but their bluff has been very much called," he said.

What To Know About The Fighters And Security Forces?

According to chief of security of Latakia province, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kunaifati, the attack involved several of Assad-aligned militias who targeted security patrols and checkpoints in the Jableh area and countryside.

The Assad-led government recruited heavily from the Alawite community for the security apparatus and bureaucracy of the Syrian state, which the Islamist-led authorities are seeking to rejig.

The coastal region of Syria is the heartland of the Alawite minority, and a stronghold of the Assad family, which belong to the Alawite sect.

Alawite activists say their community has been in the throes of violence and attacks since Assad fell, particularly in rural Homs and Latakia.

While interim president Sharaa has pledged to run Syria in an inclusive way, no meetings have been announced between him and senior Alawite figures, in contrast to members of other minority groups such as the Kurds, Christians and Druze.

“The Alawites are not organised or united. But the spread of discontent and demonstrations against the regime will embolden militias across Syria, those that oppose the (new) regime and those that presume to speak in the name of the revolution," Joshua Landis, head of the Center for Middle East Studies at the University of Oklahoma, told Reuters.

What To Know About Syria’s Interim Government?

Ahmed al- Sharaa, the leader of the rebel coalition that swept to power in Syria in December, was declared the country’s interim president in January. While Muhammad al-Bashir would be the prime minister of the caretaker government until March 1.

Sharaa was formerly known by his nom de guerre, Abu Mohammad al-Jolani, who spearheaded offensive against Bashar al-Assad and ended his iron grip on the country.

Shara was the leader of HTS, an Islamist rebel group once linked to Al Qaeda. His faction controlled most of Idlib Province, in northwestern Syria, during a long stalemate in the country’s civil war, which dragged on for nearly 14 years.

Col. Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the HTS Military Operations Department, had announced that all institutions related to the old regime—including the 2012 constitution, the People’s Assembly, the Baath Party, and all revolutionary factions (military, political, and civil)—would be dissolved and integrated into the new state institutions.

What World Leaders And Organisations Are Saying?

Kuwait’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has expressed support for Syria’s interim government and its efforts “to protect its national security and stability". “Kuwait’s strongly condemns the crimes committed by outlaws in Syria and their targeting of security forces and state institutions," the Kuwait News Agency cited the Foreign Ministry as saying in a statement.

Bahrain’s Foreign Ministry also condemned “the crimes committed by outlaw groups in Syria, including attacks on security forces and attempts to destabilise security and civil peace". The Bahrain News Agency quoted the ministry as saying that it supports the Syrian government in safeguarding the country’s security, stability and territorial integrity.

UN Special Envoy for Syria Geir Pedersen says he is “deeply alarmed" by reports of clashes and civilian killings in coastal areas. “All parties should refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, destabilize Syria, and jeopardize a credible and inclusive political transition."

Syria’s Road To Recovery

Around a hundred of armed factions have joined the Defense Ministry, including the US-backed Syrian Free Army, based in al-Tanf garrison and now Tadmur after the regime’s fall. Moreover, some of the new military officers and governorate commanders—who include Syrian National Army (SNA) leaders and foreign fighters—are US-designated terrorists.

As part of economic development of Syria, the easing of sanctions and diplomatic engagements have provided an initial foundation for recovery (e.g., the new government conducted 330 diplomatic engagements between the regime’s fall and February 11), as per The Washington Institute.

The US government, which has designated Hayat Tahrir al-Sham a terrorist organisation, dropped a $10 million bounty on Sharaa’s head.

Washington has also eased some restrictions on humanitarian aid to Syria, and the European Union announced this week that it would lift some sanctions.

Earlier this week, Syria’s foreign minister told the global chemical weapons watchdog that the new government was committed to destroying any remaining stockpiles produced under-Assad.

The Assad government was accused of carrying out dozens of chemical attacks during the 14-year civil war.