SULAIMANI, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Syrian government said late Friday that it was "closely following" an Amnesty International report on the recent outbreak of violence against the country's Alawite minority.

Human rights organization Amnesty International in a report on Thursday called on the Syrian government to "ensure that the perpetrators of a wave of mass killings targeting Alawite civilians in coastal areas are held accountable," while urging that immediate measures be taken to ensure that sectarian actors do not pose a threat to anyone else.

"The Government of the Syrian Arab Republic has closely followed the report issued by Amnesty International regarding the events on the Syrian coast that occurred last March and its preliminary conclusions," read the Friday statement by the government.

The statement added that the matter is left to "the Independent National Commission of Inquiry and Fact-Finding to evaluate in accordance with the mandate, independence, and broad powers granted to it by presidential decree."

Violent clashes broke out in early March between Syrian security forces and loyalists of ousted former President Bashar al-Assad along the western coast of the country after 16 security personnel were killed in an ambush by pro-Assad militants.

The incident prompted a retaliatory response from the security forces, killing over 1,700 civilians accused of siding with the insurgents, including women and children, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR). The violent spree was widely condemned by multiple countries and regional and international bodies.

Syria’s western coastal region is heavily populated by the members of the Alawite minority - an ethno-religious group to which the Assad family belongs and that enjoyed privileges under Assad rule.

"Armed men asked people if they were Alawite before threatening or killing them and, in some cases, appeared to blame them for violations committed by the former government, witnesses told Amnesty International," the report read.

The Syrian government complained in their statement about "the tendency of some human rights reports to overlook or downplay the context in which events occurred," adding that the violent outbreak was preceded by "a treacherous and premeditated attack by remnants of the former regime, targeting public security forces and the army," despite Amnesty having included this in their report.

"On 6 March 2025, armed groups affiliated with the former government led by President Bashar al-Assad launched multiple coordinated attacks on security and military sites in the coastal governorates of Latakia and Tartous," the Amnesty report read, adding that in response, the Ministry of Defence and Ministry of Interior launched a counteroffensive, which led to a significant escalation of violence.

A rebel offensive in early December, spearheaded by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), saw the ouster of Assad, ending the Assads’ five-decade-long rule and bringing dramatic changes to the political scene in Syria and the Middle East.

A new interim government was formed in late January, resulting in former HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa being declared president to oversee the affairs of the transitional government.