News / Syria

Curfew declared in Damascus, several cities after violent clashes

Wednesday, 25 December 2024 11:17 PM [ Last Update: Wednesday, 25 December 2024 11:33 PM ]

A snapshot of the Alawite protesters in one of the protests in Al-Qardahah, Syria, on Wednesday.

Syria’s security forces have clashed with armed men in the western city of Tartus, leaving several people dead and injured.

Syrian media, quoting Interior Ministry officials, said over a dozen members of security forces were killed and 10 others injured during clashes in Tartus on Wednesday.

The clashes came after angry protests erupted in many cities across Syria, including Latakia and Homs.

According to some reports, one protester was killed and several others were wounded in Homs after security forces opened fire to disperse the crowd.

The protests followed a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine in the northern part of the country.

Syria’s new rulers have declared a curfew in many cities, including the capital Damascus, as well as Homs and Jabaleh.

They claimed the video of the shrine attack dates back to the time of Aleppo’s takeover by militants.

They also said unknown groups carried out the attack and its reemergence is aimed at inciting discord among Syrians.

The footage showing "the storming and attack" of the shrine in Aleppo is "old and dates to the time of the liberation" of the northern Syrian city earlier this month, an interior ministry statement said.

It said the attack was carried out by "unknown groups" and that "republishing" the video served to "stir up strife among the Syrian people at this sensitive stage."