PARIS, March 8. /TASS/. The French Foreign Ministry condemned the numerous cases of religiously motivated violence against civilians in Syria and called on the country’s new authorities to investigate all such crimes.

"France expresses its deep concern about the serious acts of violence that have occurred in recent days in Syria in the provinces of Tartus, Latakia and Homs. We condemn in the strongest terms acts of religiously motivated violence against civilians and prisoners. We call on the interim Syrian government to make sure that independent investigations are carried out to uncover all circumstances of these crimes and convict the perpetrators," the statement said.

The ministry reiterated its commitment to a transition of power in Syria that is peaceful and inclusive, not influenced by foreign meddling and guarantees the preservation of "ethnic and confessional pluralism." According to the statement, this would be the only way to prevent division and violence in the country. France vowed to make every effort to create conditions for a peaceful transition of power.

On March 6, clashes broke out in Latakia, Tartus and Homs governorates between Syrian security forces and armed groups supporting former Syrian President Bashar Assad. The fiercest fighting took place in Jableh, home to Alawites, a religious minority that includes the Assad family.

Authorities sent army units and armored vehicles to the three provinces, and curfews have been imposed in the main cities. The Syrian Defense Ministry announced on Friday that it had regained control of the coastal areas. The clashes are the biggest challenge that the transitional government in Damascus has faced since the change of power in December 2024.

According to a Kurdish television channel called Rudaw, at least 134 people, including 13 women and 5 children, were killed in the fighting in the provinces of Latakia and Tartus. It reported that most of them belonged to the Alawite community, which makes up 12% of the country's population. A total of 229 citizens have been killed since Thursday in fierce firefights between the Syrian government’s special units and armed supporters of the former president.