ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – The Kurdish-led northeast Syria (Rojava) administration on Wednesday condemned the use of violence against Alawite protesters in Latakia and Druze residents in Suwayda by Syrian security forces, denouncing the rising influence of “tribal forces” for intensifying sectarian tensions.

The Autonomous Administration in North and East Syria (AANES) said in a statement that “the attacks on civilians and peaceful demonstrators in the Homs and coastal regions, as well as in Suwayda, represent a blatant violation of human and national values. They serve only those who seek to drag the country toward chaos.”

“We call on the interim government in Damascus to respect the will of the people in the coastal, southern, and other regions, and to fully refrain from using violence and weapons against peaceful demonstrators,” the statement asserted.

On Tuesday, security forces fired live rounds in Latakia to disperse protesters amid one of the population’s largest demonstrations since the ousting of Bashar al-Assad. The crackdown also saw beatings, arrests, vehicles running over protesters, tear gas, and “extreme violence,” the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported.

The protests erupted following an attack on an Alawite neighborhood by a Sunni Bedouin tribe that led to heavy material damage and several injuries. The Sunni attacks came in the wake of an allegedly sectarian murder of a couple belonging to the tribe, leading to heavy material damage and multiple injuries.

The administration denounced the “involvement of certain armed factions and groups, operating under various names such as ‘Tribal Uprising’ or ‘Tribal Forces’ and supported by [Syrian] parties,” asserting they seek to disrupt the “unity and solidarity” among Syrian components.

Syria has fallen into sectarian conflict on several occasions since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels overthrew the Assad regime in December, leading Ahmed al-Sharaa to seize the presidency, with the new authorities in Damascus having been repeatedly criticized for failing to protect minorities.

Also on Tuesday, Syrian authorities were accused of conducting a drone attack on the civilian-populated village of Slaim, northern Suwayda, leading to the death of a resident and “injuries to at least five others,” Druze-affiliated media reported.

“The escalation witnessed in Homs, the coast, Suwayda, and other Syrian areas will have dangerous consequences for the country's future,” the Rojava administration stressed.

Kurdish and Druze political components have repeatedly called for a federal government system where all religious and ethnic groups are represented, a demand firmly rejected by the Damascus government that has maintained a centralized stance since its rise to power.