GENEVA: The UN envoy for Syria voiced alarm Friday at reports of clashes and killings in coastal areas between Syrian caretaker authority forces and elements loyal to toppled president Bashar al-Assad’s regime.
“While the situation remains fluid and we are still determining the precise facts, there is clearly an immediate need for restraint from all parties,” Geir Pedersen said in a statement.
He also called for “full respect for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law”.
His comment came after the fiercest attacks on the new authorities since Assad was ousted in December.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said at least 147 people have been killed since the clashes erupted on Thursday along the country’s western coast.
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The Britain-based Observatory also said that security forces “executed 69 Alawite men in the towns of Al-Shir and Al-Mukhtariya in the Latakia countryside”, citing verified videos and testimonies from relatives of the dead.
Assad is a member of the Alawite minority.
Pedersen said he was “deeply alarmed” by the reports emerging from the area, decrying in particular “very troubling reports of civilian casualties”.
“All parties should refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, destabilise Syria, and jeopardise a credible and inclusive political transition,” he insisted.
Forces led by group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham launched the offensive that toppled Assad on December 8, when he fled to Russia with his family.
Syria’s new security forces have since carried out extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions.
Residents and organisations have reported violations during those campaigns, including home seizures, field executions and kidnappings, which the authorities have described as “isolated incidents”.
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