Western Syria clashes

Following the fall of the Assad regime after offensives by opposition groups in early December 2024, there were clashes between Assad loyalists and forces of the new Syrian caretaker government in the Alawite-majority Tartus and Latakia Governorates as well as in the western parts of the Hama and Homs Governorates.

The government took action through pursuing Assadist officers and officials in villages within Western Syria. The clashes were triggered by the proliferation of videos on social media showing footage of an attack on the Abu Abdullah al-Hussein al-Khusseibi shrine in Aleppo, which occurred in November. The incitement of violence and civil unrest among Alawite communities by Assadist elements has led to the formation of Alawite insurgent groups in Western Syria.

Following the collapse of Ba'athist Syria, there were frequent demands of vengeance against individuals involved with the deposed regime across parts of Western Syria. Sources such as the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights group also reported numerous extrajudicial executions of mainly Alawite civilians and former security personnel in the region, carried out by unidentified gunmen and fighters aligned with the Syrian caretaker government and nominally a part of the new Syrian Army as well as by Assad loyalists, resulting in the deaths of more than 2,388 civilians, at least 2,127 of whom were confirmed to have been killed in sectarian violence.

In early March, Assadist insurgents launched a coordinated attack on government forces in the coastal region, and government forces launched a counter-offensive. This was accompanied by sectarian violence, mainly against Alawites. The Syrian caretaker government announced it had completed its military operation against Assad loyalists on 10 March 2025, though attacks continued. By late May 2025, the Institute for the Study of War reported that Assadist insurgent attacks had largely stopped since March until later on in August when insurgent attacks continued.