Damascus: A Syrian investigative committee has revealed that 1,426 people primarily from the Alawite community were brutally killed during a wave of massacres that swept through coastal Syria between March 7 and 9. The findings, announced on Tuesday, bring to light one of the deadliest sectarian attacks since the beginning of Syria's civil conflict.
The massacres took place in villages and towns between Latakia and Tartus, areas traditionally considered strongholds of the Alawite sect to which President Bashar al-Assad belongs. Yasser Farhan, spokesperson for the committee, confirmed that 90 women were among the victims and emphasized that the events had the hallmarks of planned and systematic violence. “These were not random acts of revenge but calculated massacres against civilians,” he stated during a press briefing.
The committee has compiled a preliminary list of 298 individuals believed to be directly involved in the killings and has submitted their names to Syrian judicial authorities for prosecution. According to Farhan, two separate lists of suspects have already been handed over to the courts, and further legal actions are expected as investigations deepen.
The violence is believed to have erupted after an uprising by hardline Assad loyalist militias splintered into internecine conflict with rival armed groups, some of which were backed by local opposition factions. A previous Reuters investigation indicated that elements of the Syrian state were either complicit in or failed to prevent the mass killings, with reports of a chain of command that extended to top figures in Damascus.
Survivors and community leaders describe the atrocities as ethnic cleansing fueled by long-standing sectarian tensions. Homes were torched, bodies mutilated, and entire families wiped out. Many survivors remain displaced, fearful of returning to villages now patrolled by the same armed groups allegedly responsible for the killings.
Despite assurances by interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa to bring justice to the victims, there is growing skepticism about the capacity of Syrian courts to prosecute powerful militia leaders or figures close to the regime. International human rights organizations have urged the United Nations to initiate an independent inquiry and ensure that accountability extends beyond Syrian borders.
This latest report underscores the precarious state of post-conflict Syria, where sectarian wounds remain raw and justice is elusive. The massacre of over 1,400 Alawites not only deepens communal mistrust but also threatens to derail any fragile progress toward reconciliation and reconstruction.
For the families of the victims, justice is long overdue. As one survivor told reporters: “We don’t want just names on a list. We want trials, we want truth, and we want peace not silence.”