Latest news with #pro-al-Assad
Al Jazeera
15-03-2025
- Politics
- Al Jazeera
Syrians mark revolution anniversary with roses, songs and tight security
Roses have filled the Syrian capital, Damascus, as people openly celebrated the anniversary of the revolution for the first time in 14 years after the toppling of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad late last year. Civilians on Saturday were seen waving the Syrian flag and singing revolutionary songs amid tight security measures. 'People say these roses symbolise peace,' Al Jazeera's Resul Serdar said, reporting from Damascus. 'Imagine that for 14 years, helicopters in this country have been throwing barrel bombs on people, and now that is the time for peace and reconciliation, they are symbolically throwing roses.' On March 15, 2011, unrest erupted across Deraa, Damascus and Aleppo as protesters demanded democratic reforms and the release of political prisoners as the Arab Spring reached Syria. Demonstrations were triggered by the arrest and torture of a group of teenage boys a few days earlier in the southwestern city of Deraa over graffiti denouncing al-Assad. A violent crackdown and repression by the government followed. In July 2011, defectors from the military announced the formation of the Free Syrian Army, an opposition group aiming to overthrow the government, turning the revolt into a ruinous civil war. It ended with the fall of the regime after a lightning offensive by opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS). elections in five years while tackling sectarian violence, Israeli bombing and land grabs, and an economic crisis. As people were celebrating on Saturday, an explosion in the coastal city of Latakia killed at least three people and injured 12, the state news agency SANA reported. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group later said the blast was an accident resulting from a resident's attempt to dismantle unexploded ordnance in a building. Latakia and Tartous governorates recently saw the heaviest fighting since the fall of al-Assad. The Syrian government said it ended an operation in those coastal areas after four days of fighting between security forces and pro-al-Assad fighters. Hundreds of people were killed.
Shafaq News
07-03-2025
- Politics
- Shafaq News
70+ killed in fierce clashes in Syria's Latakia
Shafaq News/ Bloody clashes in the coastal Syrian city of Latakia have left more than 70 people dead, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported on Friday. In several posts on X, the Observatory stated that hostilities erupted between fighters linked to Syria's ousted leader Bashar al-Assad and personnel from the Syrian government's defense and interior ministries, adding, 'The region witnessed intense fighting and ambushes, resulting in dozens of deaths and injuries, as well as numerous captives.' Amid deployments by convoys of military and security forces in Latakia and Tartus | The number of fata*lities in attacks and bloody clashes exceeds 70 #SOHR — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) March 7, 2025 The escalation is ongoing, with large reinforcements from the Syrian government having arrived, the Observatory confirmed, noting that the 'well-organized operation' began in Daliya and Beit Aana in the Jableh countryside, Latakia province. Ambushes reportedly took place on the Tartus-Homs road targeting Ministry of Defense forces, as well as on the Aleppo-Latakia road, where militants from the ousted regime's army attacked. Al-Qardaha remains uncontested, while the Tartus city is under full control of the Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior, along with the cities of Baniyas, Jableh, and Latakia. مدير #المرصد_السوري: مدينة #طرطوس تخضع للسيطرة الكاملة من قبل وزارتي الدفاع والداخلية، ومدن #بانياس و #جبلة و #اللاذقية معظمها تحت السيطرة أيضاً، لكن المعضلة ستكون الأرياف التي تشهد وجود مسلحين من أتباع جيش النظام البائد. الاشتباكات مستمرة في كثير من المناطق منذ أكثر من 14 ساعة،… — المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) March 7, 2025 Regarding the support behind these attacks, SOHR hinted that an external group, possibly Hezbollah or another party, may have facilitated the weapons supply, referring to the newly formed Islamic Resistance Front which emerged in Syria in response to the fall of the al-Assad regime and the Israeli invasion of the country. However, Hezbollah, which ended its presence in Syria after al-Assad's downfall, has not confirmed these claims. On Thursday evening, violent clashes erupted between Syrian government forces and former regime armed groups in Latakia province, with the Observatory confirming at least 48 deaths in the bloody confrontations in Jableh and its surroundings. The casualties reportedly included 28 pro-al-Assad fighters, four civilians shot by Syrian security forces, and 16 security personnel killed by the militants.
