DOHA, March 9. /TASS/. At least 231 officers of the new Syrian government’s security forces have been killed in clashes with armed supporters of former President Bashar Assad in the Latakia governorate, the Al Jazeera television channel said, citing a source.
"As many as 231 servicemen of the defense ministry and security forces have been killed in operations in [Syria’s] coastal areas," the source said, adding that dozens of security officers have gone missing.
On March 6, clashes broke out in various areas of the Latakia governorate between Syrian security forces and armed groups supporting former Syrian President Bashar Assad. The fiercest fighting took place in Jableh, home to Alawites, representatives of the religious minority, to which the Assad family belongs. 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 March 7 that it had regained control of the coastal areas. On March 8, Syria’s interim government deployed additional forces to littoral areas to suppress armed resistance from pro-Assad units. These clashes are the biggest challenge that the transitional government in Damascus has faced since the change of power in December 2024.
According to the Rudaw Kurdish television channel, at least 120 armed pro-Assad militants and 93 government troops have been killed in the fighting in the Latakia and Tartus governorates. The death toll among civilians has exceeded 500, with most of the victims belonging to the Alawite community, which makes up 12% of the country's population.