Syria has been in turmoil since Bashar al-Assad was overthrown in December. The insurgent-led government that replaced him has struggled to maintain control. Clashes between security forces and Assad loyalists have triggered widespread attacks, particularly against the Alawite community. Under Assad, Alawites dominated the military and security agencies. Now, they are being targeted as the new government blames Assad loyalist for ongoing attacks. The bloodshed began on Thursday when government forces attempted to detain a suspect near Jableh but were ambushed by armed Assad supporters. In response, security forces launched crackdowns in AlawITE strongholds along the Mediterranean coast. The Observatory chief Rami Abdurrahman called it \”one of the biggest massacres\” of the conflict, calling it a ‘massacre’ of the Syrian civil war, which is now in its seventh year. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said, \”The total number of civilian martyrs who were liquidated amounted to 973, including women and children,\” adding that \”killings, field executions, and ethnic cleansing operations\” were still ongoing following deadly clashes.