Many thought they were designed to provide the Alawites with the underpinnings of an alternative state in case Syria broke up.However, the bloodshed deep into the Alawite heartland, and the near absence of condemnation among Syria’s Sunni majority,

Armed men loyal to the Syrian government carried out field executions and spoke of purifying the country, according to eyewitnesses and video, providing a gruesome picture of a crackdown against remnants of the former Assad regime that spiraled into communal killings.

Assad’s fall, at least 64 kidnappings and executions have been recorded in Homs, a major city in central Syria. Most victims are Alawites, the religious minority tied to the Assad family.

Under Mr Assad Syria sank from middle-income status to abject poverty. Women saw branches off trees for heating. Children scavenge in dumpsters for food. Men pull copper wire from buildings and telecoms cables to sell. The government is broke and banks are running out of cash. “The economy is tanking,” says one of Mr Sharaa’s advisers.

Gen. Ibrahim Huweija is also accused of overseeing killing of Lebanese politician Kamal Jumblatt - Anadolu Ajansı

Syria witnessed the most intense and bloodiest clashes between the new Syrian government and Bashar al Assad loyalists since Assad's downfall on December 8.

From a Bond villain lair in the rugged heights overlooking Damascus, the all-seeing eye of a notorious Syrian military unit gazed down on a city it bled dry.

Worldcategory· December 6, 2024 Hezbollah sent 'supervising' forces to Syria's Homs, sources say Lebanese ... there to support President Bashar al-Assad in his battle against rebels, a senior ...