Syrian forces launch sweep as Assad loyalists accused of attacks

Syrian authorities initiated a security operation in the city of Latakia on Tuesday, as reported by local residents, following the deaths of two members of their forces in an attack attributed by state media to remnants of the ousted government of Bashar al-Assad.

Throughout the night, gunfire was audible as government security forces were deployed in the Datour district of Latakia, an area within the coastal region that has historically supported Assad and his Alawite community.

This coastal region has become a significant security concern for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s administration, which has stationed numerous forces in the area since Assad’s removal in December. A senior security official informed Reuters that there has been a rise in hit-and-run assaults on security patrols and checkpoints across various towns in Latakia province over the past two weeks, attributed to former military personnel in hiding.

The Syrian state news agency SANA, referencing a security source, reported that the two defense ministry members were killed in al-Datour by “groups of Assad militia remnants,” prompting security forces to launch a campaign to apprehend them.

The senior security source indicated that the rise in attacks in the Latakia region is linked to an increase in arms among former security and military personnel who have declined to engage in reconciliation agreements with the new authorities. Additionally, the source noted that some Alawite elders have cooperated with security forces to surrender former personnel suspected of crimes committed during the Assad regime, aiming to prevent crackdowns and potential civil unrest.