Syrian authorities say they have halted a military operation along the country's western coastline designed to quell a surge in violence that is reported to have claimed hundreds of lives. "We are announcing the end of the military operation

A WAVE of violence continued to spread across Syria on Sunday as areas loyal to the former president were left with dead bodies piling up on the streets. Hundreds have reportedly fled their homes in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus with locals reporting the mass killings of men, women and children as well as widespread looting.

Public institutions are now able ‘to resume operations and provide essential services,’ defense ministry spokesperson says - Anadolu Ajansı

A human rights group characterized the killings as executions and massacres, carried out in revenge against the Alawite community, which made up Assad's longtime base of support.

Foreign ministers of Türkiye, Jordan, Iraq, Lebanon, and Syria met in Amman amid heightened violence in Syria’s coastal provinces - Anadolu Ajansı

Analysts have said the latest violence, with nearly 1,000 dead, calls into question the new authorities' ability to rule and rebuild a country devastated by 13 years of civil war.

The announcement comes as the fighting between pro-Assad militias and members of the security forces killed more than 1,000 people, majority of whom are civilians, amid reports of rights violations.

The attack Thursday near the port city of Latakia reopened the wounds of the country’s 13-year civil war and sparked the worst violence Syria has seen since December, when insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, overthrew Assad.

The resumption of hostilities in Syria could change everything, and the Russian military could suddenly find itself in a precarious and vulnerable position.