Hundreds of Civilians Reported Killed as Syria’s New Rulers Hunt for Assad Supporters

Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported some 745 civilians killed in recent days as Syria’s new government asserts control over the northwest.

Smoke rises while members of the Syrian forces ride on a vehicle as they battle against a nascent insurgency by fighters from ousted leader Bashar al-Assad's Alawite sect, in Latakia, Syria March 7, 2025. REUTERS/Karam al-Masri

Syria’s Alawite communities are girding themselves against reprisals at the hands of the country’s new de facto leaders, as reports indicate the forces of the new government have killed hundreds of civilians in a growing crackdown across northwest Syria that began earlier this week.

Exact casualty figures cannot be independently verified and may yet rise as the new Syrian government’s forces seek to assert control over the country’s coastal northwest region.