ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq – Clashes erupted in Syria’s coastal Alawite stronghold of Latakia on Tuesday, after alleged loyalists of the deposed regime of Bashar al-Assad attacked a Syrian security position, leading to at least four deaths.

The attack took place west of Hammam al-Qarahla village in the Jableh countryside, after members reportedly belonging to the Saraya al-Jawad faction, affiliated with remnants of the ousted Assad regime, attacked the Syrian security forces.

Syria’s state broadcaster al-Ikhbaria reported that at least one member of the Internal Security Forces was killed in the clashes.

The altercation also resulted in the death of one of the commanders of the Assadist militia and two other members, according to al-Ikhbaria.

Emerging in August 2025, Saraya al-Jawad has pledged to target government forces and foreign Turkey-backed proxy groups as “revenge for the souls of the martyrs.” They have claimed several attacks in the past and are continuously pursued by the Syrian government.

With a majority of its residents belonging to the Alawite religious sect, the belief system of the former ruling Assad clan, Latakia province has proved a hotspot of resistance by loyalists to the deposed regime.

In March 2025, violent clashes broke out between Syrian security forces and pro-Assad factions along the western coast of Syria, killing at least 1,400 people, most of whom were Alawite civilians.

Syria has fallen into sectarian conflict on several occasions since Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rebels propelled Ahmed al-Sharaa to power in December 2024, with the new authorities in Damascus having been repeatedly criticized for failing to protect minorities.