Reuters Reveals Syrian Government, HTS Massacre Nearly 1,500 Alawites in March 2025 with Command Linked to Damascus

A Reuters investigation has revealed that nearly 1,500 Syrian Alawites were massacred over three days in March 2025 during a series of sectarian killings along Syria's coastal region. The violence followed an insurgency by Assad loyalists and involved multiple factions, including Syrian government forces, Islamist groups such as Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), Turkish-backed militias, and foreign jihadists. The investigation identified 40 distinct sites of killings, looting, and arson, with victims including men, women, children, and the elderly. Entire families were targeted, and some towns were depopulated of Alawite residents and replaced by Sunni populations.

The chain of command for the attacks was traced directly to officials serving alongside Syria's new leaders in Damascus. At least half of the factions involved have been under international sanctions for human rights abuses. The killings exposed deep divisions within Syria's population following the fall of Bashar al-Assad. The new Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has promised an investigation, but no government report has been released to date. The investigation also highlighted ongoing violence and disappearances, including cases of abduction and trafficking. The massacre occurred shortly after the lifting of US sanctions on Syria by former President Donald Trump.