LATAKIA, Syria — The death toll from clashes between Syria’s new ruling authority and loyalists of ousted President Bashar al-Assad has risen to 1,018, including 745 civilians, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.
The fighting, which erupted Thursday, is the most significant challenge yet for the country’s new government. Paramilitary groups aligned with the administration have carried out retaliatory killings following ambushes by Assad loyalists that left 16 security personnel dead earlier this week, the Observatory said.
Among the dead, 125 were members of government security forces, while 148 were militants from pro-Assad armed groups, the Observatory added, though these figures could not be independently verified.
As violence spreads, Syrian security reinforcements have been deployed across the coastal cities of Latakia and Jableh, where roads have been shut down. Armed groups loyal to Assad attacked several medical facilities, including Latakia’s National Hospital.
“The attack came from abandoned buildings surrounding the hospital,” said Dr. Mohammed, head of the hospital’s emergency department. “It appears the attackers infiltrated these structures and opened fire.”
Many civilians were caught in the crossfire. Khaled Al Raad, a Latakia resident, was wounded while preparing a meal for his son at home.
“I was near the window when gunfire erupted from the buildings,” Raad said from his hospital bed. “A bullet hit my hand, and another barely missed me.”
As security forces regained control of key areas, some residents cautiously resumed their daily routines, but many expressed fears of further sectarian violence.
“We don’t want a war of revenge,” said Ahmad Al Najar, a Latakia resident. “There are those who profit from war while civilians suffer. But we reject that. We want peace, and we want Syria to heal.”