Russia calls on Syria's new administration 'to stop the bloodshed'

Russia has urged all leaders in Syria to work toward stopping the bloodshed as soon as possible, amid tensions in the country’s Western region.

The Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Friday expressed its concern about the sharp deterioration in security in Syria, calling for immediate action "to stop the bloodshed."

This comes as clashes have erupted in Syria’s western coastal region since Thursday when the ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militants were reportedly ambushed.

The so-called Syria Observatory for Human Rights on Friday said the clashes killed 78 people and injured dozens of others.

The Britain-based war monitor also reported that gunmen loyal to the new administration shot dead at least 69 men in the villages of Sheer, Mukhtariyeh and Haffah in the countryside of Latakia on Friday.

The latest deaths bring to 147 the total number of people killed since clashes between erupted between HTS militants and opposition forces on Thursday.

“They killed every man they encountered,” said the Observatory’s chief, Rami Abdurrahman, referring to gunmen who killed residents who belong to the country’s minority Alawite sect of former President Bashar Assad.

The Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV cited local sources as saying more than 30 men were killed in the village of Mukhtariyeh after they were separated from women and children. According to the report, several others were also shot dead in Sheer and Haffah.

Scores killed as opposition forces fight HTS militants in Syria

More than 70 people have been killed and dozens more wounded in Syria in fighting between HTS militants and opposition groups.

Earlier, the SOHR said HTS militants took control of Baniyas city in the province of Tartous. Jableh of Latakia province was also under their almost complete control.

However, the opposition forces still control several towns and villages on the mountains near Syria’s coast.

The region is home to the Hmeimim air base – a strategic Syrian base that Russia operates.

Also on Friday, Alawite people staged protests in front of the Russian military base in Hmeimim, demanding Moscow to protect them and asked Russia to take action at the United Nations Security Council regarding their situation.

It was the worst violence since President Bashar al-Assad's government was toppled by militant groups led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS.

A resident from Qardaha, which sees ongoing clashes, told The Associated Press in a text message that the situation "is very bad." The resident, who asked not to be named fearing for his safety, said HTS forces were firing with heavy machine guns in the town's residential areas.

The attacks come while the HTS administration has sought to assure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights would be upheld.

The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group along with other militants seized control of Damascus on December 8, 2024, forcing Assad to leave the country.

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