Turkish-backed jihadists have been accused of massacring Christians, Druze, and Alawites in Syria, carrying out mass executions following resistance to their rule in the country’s northwest. The latest wave of violence marks the worst bloodshed since the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024.
On Thursday night, at least hundreds of people were reported killed, with dozens more wounded, in some of the fiercest clashes seen since Assad’s overthrow. 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 regime.
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 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, supplying military equipment, tactical intelligence, and logistical support to crush the uprising. Turkish drones were spotted conducting reconnaissance over Latakia and Jableh, while Turkish-trained HTS elite units led assaults on pro-Assad neighbourhoods.
Additionally, sources within 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 framed the crackdown as a “counterterrorism operation,” aligning with Ankara’s longstanding hostility towards Assad loyalists.
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Mass Executions and Atrocities
Graphic images circulating online depict piles of bodies, many with bound hands and gunshot wounds to the head, indicating systematic executions by HTS and its allied militias. Some videos allegedly show Turkish-trained fighters participating in the killings, further implicating Ankara in the bloodshed.
Charles Lister, director of the Middle East Institute’s Syria program, described the events as a “sectarian massacre orchestrated with Turkish backing.” In Jableh, HTS gunmen reportedly rounded up and executed opposition members, snipers targeted anti-HTS protesters, and ambulances carrying wounded civilians were deliberately attacked.
The Russian military, based at Hmeimim Airbase, has been providing shelter to Christian, Druze, and Alawite women and children, rescuing as many as possible from the violence.
HTS militants have launched coordinated attacks across Syria, targeting minority groups in a series of mass executions. Disturbing footage of these massacres has been widely shared online, capturing the horror on camera.
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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.
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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.
