TEHRAN – The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has confirmed that over 1,018 people have been killed in Syria’s coastal region within just 48 hours.

According to the monitoring group, this number includes at least 745 civilians, most of whom are from the Syrian Alawite sect. However, sources on the ground believe this is a conservative estimate, suggesting the real death toll could be much higher.

Field sources in Baniyas (Tartous) and Al-Bahluliyah (Latakia) report that civilian deaths are likely between 2,300 and 2,400.

Fox News and the New York Times report, based on eyewitness accounts, that more than 4,000 people have been killed in Syria’s coastal areas.

Eyewitnesses told the Western news outlets that they had received lists documenting the mass killing of Alawite civilians.

Graphic footage circulating online reveals disturbing scenes of violence. In some videos, government forces are seen executing elderly individuals, women, and young boys at point-blank range. 

Other clips show armed men rounding up groups of people, who are then beaten before being subjected to summary executions.

Many bodies remain scattered along roads and in village streets, with families unable to retrieve or bury their loved ones.

The UN envoy for Syria, Gier Pedersen, has called for civilians to be protected.

Local sources say many residents fled to nearby mountains and forests, afraid to return home due to what some describe as an ethnic cleansing campaign.

Activists accuse Syrian government forces of deliberately targeting the Alawite community. 

However, they also report that hundreds of Christians are among the victims.

The United Nations Resident Coordinator in Syria, Adam Abdelmoula, and the Regional Humanitarian Coordinator for the Syrian crisis, Ramesh Rajasingham, condemned the violence in Syria’s western provinces of Tartous, Latakia, Homs, and Hama. 

In a joint statement, they urged all parties to end hostilities and protect civilians in line with international humanitarian law.
In a related development, Syrian security forces reportedly blocked foreign groups from entering Damsarkho, a town near Latakia.

Reports indicate that several massacres took place on Saturday in villages across rural Latakia, Tartous, and Hama, resulting in at least 145 deaths.

On Sunday, local sources reported that villages in Tartous and rural Latakia faced renewed attacks by armed groups aligned with the government in Damascus. 

The Syrian Ministry of Interior announced that the General Security Administration is sending reinforcements to rural Tartous to restore order.

A source in Syria’s Ministry of Defense told state news agency SANA that violent clashes broke out near a village in rural Latakia, where “several elements affiliated with the previous regime had fled.”

Meanwhile, communication and internet services were cut off in the southern provinces of Daraa and Suwayda due to damaged cables between Daraa and Damascus, according to SANA.

In response to the ongoing violence and reports of field executions allegedly carried out by security personnel, Syria’s interim President, Ahmad Al-Sharaa, acknowledged the crisis as a major challenge. 

He reaffirmed his commitment to “national unity and civil peace.”

The Syrian government has declared full military mobilization and suspended all educational activities in Tartous and Latakia governorates until Tuesday.

According to Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesman for the Ministry of Defense, a “second phase” of the ongoing military operation is now underway. 

However, this new phase offers little hope of relief for Syria’s vulnerable minority groups.