On January 29, 2025, Ahmed al -Saraa and more than 12 other armed commanders who joined forces to overthrow Bashar al -Assad gathered at the Presidential Palace in Damascus in a demonstration of unity between men who had fought between them.

Al Saraa became president and abolished her constitution Syriawhile dismantling the Army and security mechanism of the Assad government.

“The sun of a new Syria rises,” he said that day.

Each commander assumed a division and received a grade, and pledged to incorporate his forces led into the new Syrian army. Theoretically, Al Saraa disrupted his military team, formerly known as Hayat Tahrir al-Sam, or HTS, which was previously Al Qaeda’s offshoot in Syria, known as Nusra’s front.

A uprising in favor of Assad in early March in the coastal areas of Syria was the first test of the fragile section.

A few hours later, the new government called for aid to stifle the uprising of the left -wing forces. Tens of thousands of vehicles, fighters and weapons gathered immediately in the seaside area.

The Ministry of Defense divided the coastal area into areas, setting it each under the command of a senior official to coordinate movements and positions, according to three security sources spoken to Reuters.

Reuters research found that 1,479 Syrians Alawites were killed and dozens were missing from 40 different points that took place murders, raids and looting. Five major groups participated in the mass murders in cities and neighborhoods of Alawite, some of which were hit by many different groups in three days.

Among the groups involved in the raids and murders were the 400 unit, the Othman Brigade and the main law of law, known as the General Security Service. Reuters found the participation of these teams in at least 10 points, where nearly 900 people were killed.

Prior to the fall of Assad, the General Security Service (GSS) was the main arm enforcement of the al -Saraa (HTS) team in the province of Indlib under its control. It is now part of the Syrian interior ministry.

In 2020, the UN described the reports of HTS executions and abuses as “deeply alarming”. Human Rights Watch recorded how HTS – then called Nusra Front – killed 149 Alawites in summary executions in Latakia in 2013.

Unit 400 refers to a few online posts, none of which comes from official Syrian government accounts. Many of those published in early December, using the same language, report that fighters of unit 400 were developed in western Syria. The posts describe the 400 unit as “among the strongest units” in HTS, having received “high levels of training and equipped with the most up -to -date weapons”.

The 400 unit was transferred to coastal areas after the fall of Assad, according to many witnesses and one member of the unit. A foreign source of information said that the unit installed its headquarters at the former Syrian Maritime Academy and was only accountable to the highest levels of the Ministry of Defense.

Turkey backed by military organizations

In the last decade, Turkey began military invasions in Syria and supported the guerrillas there to oppose both Assad and the Kurdish forces he considers a threat.

These factions were part of Turkey -supported a Syrian National Army, the second largest opposition coalition in Syria. SNA factions have a history of kidnapping, sexual violence and extensive looting, according to Human Rights Watch and other human rights defense groups.

Among those supported by Turkey during the Civil War were the Brigade Sultan Suleiman Sah and the Hamza Division.

In the murders of the Alawites, Reuters found the participation of these two teams in at least eight different locations where nearly 700 people were killed.

On his Facebook page, a militia -linked militia posted by the Sultan Suleiman Sah posted: “Turn off the cameras. Kill every man. Their blood is dirty like pigs. “

Sunni

These include the guerrilla forces against Assad of Jays al-Islam, Jays al-Ahrar and Jays al-Jaza. Reuters found that they were present in at least four locations where nearly 350 people were killed.

In 2013, Jays al-Islam arrested men and women Alawites and put them in large metal cages to use them as human shields from Syrian and Russian air strikes in Damascus. The group is also accused by groups of human rights defending activists during the revolution.

Foreign fighters

These include the Islamic Party of Turkestan (Tip), Uzbeks, Chechens and some Arab fighters in six locations where Reuters found almost 500 people killed.

Sunni armed

The sectarian controversy that stems from the years of the civil war and the abuse of Assad’s power has led to attacks on Alawites, a minority associated with the Assad family.

Reuters found that the two main locations of the murder were the village of Arza and the town of Baniya, where a total of 300 people were killed.