Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa called the ongoing clashes in the western part of the country between Syrian security forces and supporters of Bashar al-Assad "expected problems".
"What is happening now in Syria is one of the expected problems. We must all maintain national unity and civil peace in the country and strive for peaceful coexistence," al-Sharaa said in a short speech delivered at the Al-Akram Mosque in the capital. A video of his speech was published by the Al Arabiya television channel.
The president said the crisis had "passed successfully" and called on Syrian security forces involved in the fighting to avoid violence against residents of the country's western provinces. Al-Sharaa said those involved in attacks on civilians would be held accountable. "The residents of the Syrian coast in the conflict areas are an important part of our homeland, so we must protect them," he added.
On March 6, clashes broke out between security forces and supporters of the former president in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus and Homs. The heaviest shootings took place in the city of Jebla, home to Alawites, a religious minority to which the Assad family belongs.
The authorities have sent army units and armored vehicles to the aforementioned provinces, and a curfew has been imposed in major cities. The Syrian Ministry of Defense announced on March 7 that it had regained control of the coastal areas. The two-day clashes have become the most serious challenge to the transitional government in Damascus since the change of power in the Arab republic in December 2024. According to the Latakia Interior Ministry, 50 security forces were killed during the operation to suppress the armed rebellion.