TUNIS, March 9. /TASS/. Syria’s new authorities will not let anyone drag the country into a civil war, the country’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa vowed.
"Today, we are facing a new threat coming from the attempts by supporters of the former regime and foreign forces behind them to provoke another feud and drag our country into a civil war in a bid to divide its and broke its unity and stability," he said in a video address posted on his office’s Telegram channel.
"Syria will stay strong and we will not let any foreign forces or local sides drag it into a turmoil or a civil war," he pledged.
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. On March 9, fighting resumed in several areas.
According to the Shafaq news portal, more than 250 pro-Assad militants have been killed in since March 6. Government forces have lost 231 troops. The death toll among civilians has exceeded 800, with most of the victims belonging to the Alawite community, which makes up 12% of the country's population.