The new rebel-led authorities in Syria have reported the deaths of 14 interior ministry personnel and injuries to 10 others in an ambush by forces loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad.
The incident occurred on Tuesday near the Mediterranean port city of Tartous.
According to reports, the ambush took place as security forces attempted to arrest a former officer allegedly linked to abuses at the infamous Saydnaya prison near Damascus.
This comes just weeks after Assad’s government was toppled by rebel forces led by the Islamist faction, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed that three HTS militants were also killed in the skirmish.
Following the attack, the interior ministry forces reportedly called in reinforcements.
In a separate development, an overnight curfew was imposed in the central city of Homs following unrest sparked by a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite shrine.
Syrian state media dismissed the video as old footage from the rebel offensive on Aleppo in November, attributing the violence to unidentified groups.
The SOHR reported that one demonstrator was killed and five others injured during protests in Homs. Demonstrations were also observed in other regions, including Tartous, Latakia, and Qardaha, Assad’s hometown.
The HTS-led offensive, which began in Syria’s northeast and swiftly spread across the country, brought an end to more than 50 years of Assad family rule. Bashar al-Assad and his family have since fled to Russia.
HTS, designated a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU, UK, and others, has pledged to safeguard the rights of Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities. However, tensions remain high, with ongoing concerns about the group’s commitment to protecting all communities.
On Tuesday, fresh protests erupted across the country following reports of a Christmas tree burning incident.
