TEHRAN – Hundreds of Alawite civilians have been executed in cold blood by Syrian security forces along the western coast.

Monitoring groups have sounded the alarm, warning of a potential genocide against the minority group as massacres in various cities continue to escalate.

In the city of Baniyas in Tartous province, Alawite residents have issued urgent pleas for help.

They are calling for rescue from widespread killings targeting families at the hands of armed militants from the Turkistan group.

Reports emerging from Syria have cited sources as saying, “The Turkistan Islamic Party began a sectarian cleansing operation in Baniyas on Saturday morning, targeting people indiscriminately — whether children or the elderly.”

The residents urged security forces and anyone who could help to intervene and stop the ongoing sectarian executions.

Local sources reported to regional media that more than 400 civilians were killed in massacres and field executions in Syria’s coastal region.

Other reports indicate that the number of casualties and kidnappings could be in the thousands. Numerous videos showing summary executions and detentions have been circulating online.

Experts note that while the Alawite community has not demanded the return of the former government, they have begun protesting against ongoing human rights violations, including abductions.

Reports have noted that, as of now, no security forces have taken action to restore order in the area.

Residents are reportedly too afraid to leave their homes due to the continued killings carried out by Turkistani, Chechen, and Syrian militants.

The Syrian Network for Human Rights documented “large-scale field executions of men and young adults, without any clear distinction between civilians and combatants” in northwest Syria.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported earlier on Saturday that more than 300 Alawite civilians had been killed since Thursday by Syrian security forces and allied groups.

These deaths occurred during security sweeps and clashes with Alawite groups who had taken up arms in the coastal region of western Syria.

The Observatory stated that “311 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal region by security forces and allied groups” since Thursday, AFP reported.

The Observatory said these individuals were killed in “executions” carried out by security forces or their allied fighters, accompanied by “looting of homes and properties.”

This brings the total death toll since the clashes began to 524, including 213 fighters from both sides.

The Observatory added that the number of fatalities among “military personnel in the Ministries of Interior and Defense” reached 93, while “120 armed fighters” were also killed.

Clashes between security forces and armed groups broke out on Thursday in Latakia province, a region with a significant Alawite population.

The Observatory said the area experienced “relative calm” on Saturday, though security forces continued “pursuit and combing operations in areas where militants were hiding” and had sent additional reinforcements.

On Saturday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that five massacres occurred in villages and towns across the Syrian coast on Friday, claiming the lives of 163 civilians who were killed in field executions by members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense and Ministry of Interior.

The head of the transitional government, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, urged fighters on Friday night to surrender “before it’s too late.”

In a televised address broadcast on the Syrian presidential Telegram channel, Al-Sharaa warned:

“You have attacked all Syrians, and by doing so, you have committed a grave, unforgivable sin. The response you are facing now is one you cannot withstand. Surrender your weapons and yourselves before it’s too late.”

Since the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s government, the new authorities have launched armed campaigns targeting what they describe as “remnants of the previous regime,” focusing particularly on Alawite-populated areas in central and western Syria.