Turkish supported Islamist militants blamed for widespread killings as Syria witnesses its worst violence since the fall of Assad. Turkey backed Jihadists massacre Christians, Druze, and Alawites in Syrian carrying out mass executions after resistance to oppression against their rule in Syria’s northwest.
On Thursday night, at least hundreds of people were reported killed and dozens more wounded in some of the fiercest clashes seen since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024. The violence erupted following what sources described as a “well-planned and premeditated attack” by the Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)-led government against opposition strongholds in Latakia, a province traditionally loyal to the former Assad government.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that HTS forces, heavily supported and directed by Turkey, launched a brutal crackdown in response to armed resistance from free Syrian factions. Video footage and witness accounts suggest that Turkish-backed militants carried out summary executions, targeting civilians and captured fighters alike.
Turkey’s Role in the Crackdown
Reports from the ground indicate that Turkey has been actively aiding HTS by supplying military equipment, tactical intelligence, and logistical support to suppress the uprising. Turkish drones were spotted conducting reconnaissance missions over Latakia and Jableh, while Turkish-trained HTS elite units led assaults on pro-Assad neighborhoods.
Additionally, sources in the Syrian National Army (SNA), a coalition of Turkish-backed factions, revealed that Ankara facilitated the deployment of additional jihadist reinforcements from Idlib to Latakia, ensuring that HTS maintained control over key territories. Turkish media also framed the crackdown as a “counterterrorism operation,” aligning with Ankara’s long-standing hostility toward Assad loyalists.
Mass Executions and Atrocities
Graphic images circulated online show piles of bodies, many with bound hands and gunshot wounds to the head, indicating systematic executions by HTS and allied militias. Some videos allegedly depict Turkish-trained fighters involved in the killings, further implicating Ankara in the bloodshed.
Charles Lister, director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program, described the situation as a “sectarian massacre orchestrated with Turkish backing.” He reported that in Jableh, HTS gunmen rounded up and executed opposition members, snipers targeted anti-HTS protesters, and ambulances carrying wounded civilians were deliberately fired upon.
The Russians are giving shelter to the Christian, Druze, and Alawite women and children at the Hmeimim Airbase in Syria. Whoever they can save, really.
Militants from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham have launched attacks across Syria, targeting Christians, Druze, Alawites, and other minority groups in a series of mass executions. Videos of these massacres, showing the killing of numerous Syrian minorities, have been widely circulated online, capturing the horrific violence on camera.
International Concern and Regional Fallout
Despite mounting evidence of Turkish involvement, Western nations remain hesitant to condemn Ankara, given Turkey’s strategic role in NATO and its influence over Syrian rebel factions. However, the UK and the US, which have refrained from engaging with the HTS-led government due to its terrorist designation, are now under pressure to reassess their position.
The pro-Assad insurgency, mainly composed of Alawite loyalists, has been gaining momentum in recent weeks. Some analysts predict that unless Ankara de-escalates its intervention, the conflict could spiral into a larger regional war involving Iran and Russia, both of whom back the Assad loyalists.
Meanwhile, Syria’s new Jihadist government, led by HTS chief Ahmed al-Sharaa, is struggling to maintain control. While it has downplayed reports of atrocities as “misinformation propagated by pro-Assad media,” the Syrian Interior Ministry admitted that some armed groups had committed “unauthorized” acts of violence.
With tensions soaring and Turkish-backed forces accused of mass killings, the latest violence threatens to plunge Syria back into full-scale war, reigniting old sectarian and geopolitical divisions.
