Syria: ‘This is Ethnic Cleansing’ – Shocking Videos and Testimonies from the Alawite Massacre

Disturbing details have emerged regarding the massacre of Alawites in Syria following armed attacks on villages in Lattakia and Tartus on March 7. An investigation by CNN focuses on the deadly assaults in Sanobar, also known as ‘Pine Village,’ home to thousands of members of Syria’s minority Alawite community in the Lattakia province. The attacks on this small settlement, surrounded by fertile farmland, reveal new insights into the intensity of certain religious violence that has ravaged Syria’s coasts. Based on interviews with seven survivors, satellite imagery, and verified footage from the ground, CNN uncovered the scale of the massacre in the village where government-aligned forces subjected unarmed locals to summary executions, looting, arson, and mass graves. At least 84 bodies were identified in videos geolocated to Pine Village, which has a population of several thousand residents. Locals reported over 200 deaths—mostly men. Eyewitnesses spoke under conditions of anonymity due to fears of retaliation. The latest round of violence began when Assad loyalists set a bloody ambush against forces aligned with the new Sunni Islamist Syrian government on March 6, an attack seemingly coordinated. It was the deadliest ambush in Syria since Assad’s overthrow last December, sparking lethal reprisals in Lattakia and Tartous provinces described by the new government as efforts to suppress remnants of the former autocratic regime. The state blamed rogue elements for the mass killings. Al-Sharaa formed an investigative committee to probe the murders and vowed accountability for perpetrators. The attacks targeted the Alawite sect, a branch of Shiite Islam to which Assad’s family belonged and dominated the regime for over half a century until their ousting. Videos examined by CNN and posted by Sunni Islamist fighters loyal to the Sara government called for ‘ethnic cleansing’ of Alawites. Footage showed fighters singing near piles of bodies. According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), more than 800 people died in subsequent attacks after the ambush. Other rights groups say the number is even higher. Survivors recounted harrowing stories of the hours leading up to the executions, describing how armed men entered homes claiming to search for regime remnants or any armed individuals. Many families lost multiple members during these brutal raids. The aftermath left bodies littering the streets of Pine Village for nearly three days as locals said fighters prohibited them from collecting the dead. On March 10, armed men supervised a two-day collection effort. Bodies were stacked in mass graves near the Alawite shrine of the village. Some were documented in videos and images geolocated by CNN, corroborated with satellite imagery to verify dates. A photograph identified at the shrine cemetery depicted at least ten shrouded bodies placed in narrow graves. In one video, CNN counted at least 42 covered bodies along one roadside, with three more in a shallow grave. Nearby mounds indicate additional burials. Another verified video showed at least 29 bodies in two shallow graves, with an excavator filling one. Despite efforts, CNN couldn’t confirm if the bodies in different videos and photos represent distinct individuals. Satellite imagery provided by Airbus on March 11 revealed soil disturbances near the shrine where CNN located graves. Images appear to show shrouded bodies and the excavator seen in one video. Maxar images from March 14 also indicated earth movement. Residents continue striving to give their loved ones proper Islamic burials despite fears of returning to the village. The new government attributed the massacres to ‘extremist elements,’ while President Ahmad al-Sara ordered an investigative committee. However, videos published by pro-government fighters call for ‘Alawite ethnic cleansing.’ Attacks against Alawites raise questions about interim President Ahmad al-Sara’s ability to govern inclusively, protecting minorities and preventing factional uprisings that could jeopardize peace prospects. Families of victims face immediate fears: ‘Will we ever return to bury our own? Or will they kill us too?’