Fierce Clashes in Syria: Over 70 Dead in Battles Between Security Forces and Assad Loyalists

Intense battles erupted in northwestern Syria between members of the de facto government’s security forces and armed loyalists of the ousted president, Bashar al-Assad, leaving over 70 dead, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. The clashes, described as some of the fiercest since Assad’s fall on December 8th, have taken place primarily in the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of the Alawite minority to which Assad’s family belongs. Security forces are now focused on eliminating the presence of Assad loyalists and restoring stability in the region. Among those captured during these operations was Ibrahim Haweijah, a former head of military intelligence under Hafez al-Assad, Bashar’s father. Meanwhile, ongoing skirmishes persist between the Syrian Transitional Government forces and remnants of the Assad regime backed by Iran, highlighting the continued instability in post-Assad Syria.