Syria Faces Worst Violence in Years as Interim Leader Calls for Peace

Syrian interim president Ahmed Sharaa urged unity on Sunday following deadly communal violence that erupted in coastal areas, marking the worst bloodshed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad. Speaking at a mosque in his childhood neighborhood of Mazzah, Damascus, Sharaa reassured Syrians, stating, “This country has the characteristics for survival. What is happening now is within expected challenges.”

At least 200 security personnel were killed in clashes with former Assad loyalists after a series of ambushes on Thursday, Syrian security sources reported. The violence escalated as thousands of armed supporters of Syria’s new Islamist-led administration rushed to the coastal region, triggering retaliatory attacks.

Tensions soared as pro-government militias carried out revenge killings, targeting Alawite communities once loyal to Assad. Syrian authorities condemned the summary executions and deadly raids, attributing them to rogue militias seeking retribution for past crimes under the Assad regime.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, described the clashes as some of the deadliest in Syria’s ongoing 13-year conflict. Fighting continued overnight, with armed groups launching attacks on security forces and ambushing vehicles along key highways in the Mediterranean coastal region.

The latest surge in violence underscores the fragile state of Syria’s post-Assad transition. While Sharaa has called for unity and domestic peace, the escalating conflict raises concerns over Syria’s long-term stability.