Syrian Army Enters Latakia and Tartus to Maintain Security After 4 Killed
Al-Watan Al-Youm News – December 28, 2025
Written by | Hassan Al-Najjar
After protests in the Syrian coast witnessed gunfire by masked individuals, leading to the killing of one security element and 3 protesters, the Syrian Ministry of Defense announced the entry of the army into Latakia and Tartus.
The Media and Communication Department of the Ministry of Defense confirmed in a statement on Sunday evening that “army groups supported by armored vehicles and armored cars entered the centers of the cities of Latakia and Tartus after the escalation of targeting operations by outlaw groups against residents and security forces.”
It also stressed that “the army’s mission is to preserve security and restore stability in cooperation with internal security forces.”
3 Killed Among Protesters
These developments came after thousands from the Alawite community demonstrated in the coastal region, two days after a bombing in a mosque in the city of Homs frequented by members of this minority, which resulted in the killing of eight people.
Meanwhile, a security source told “Al-Watan Al-Youm” about the killing of one security element by gunfire fired by “masked individuals affiliated with remnants of the previous regime,” according to his expression.
Sources from Al-Watan Al-Youm also pointed to injuries and 3 killed among the demonstrators as well by gunfire from “the remnants.”
For its part, the Ministry of Interior announced injuries to security elements “after an attack by remnants of the previous regime on them in Latakia and Jableh.” The commander of internal security in Latakia, Brigadier General Abdul Aziz Al-Ahmad, stated in a statement that armed individuals during the protests in Latakia fired shots into the air, while security elements contained the situation.
Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council, had called for peaceful sit-ins, the second of their kind since the fall of the previous regime. In a recorded speech on Saturday, he called for mass mobilization, saying that the day would be a peaceful human flood filling the squares.
He also urged his followers to “prove to the world that the Alawite component cannot be insulted or marginalized,” according to his expression.
It is worth noting that the Syrian coast witnessed bloody waves of violence last March, while Damascus accused armed supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad of igniting the crisis by attacking security forces.
A national investigation committee established to identify those involved in the violations confirmed that no less than 1426 Alawites were killed in those events, in addition to dozens of security elements.
