March 15, 2025
Thousands Of Syrian Alawites Still Stuck At Russian Base One Week After Massacres

Via The Cradle

Thousands of Syrian Alawites continue to seek sanctuary at a Russian air base, fearing for their lives in the wake of a series of horrific sectarian massacres carried out by Syrian government-affiliated extremist armed groups.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that about 9,000 people were seeking refuge at Hmeimim, an air base established by Russia as part of its 2015 intervention in the US-backed war that began in 2011 to topple the Syrian government of former president Bashar al-Assad.

Thousands of people have been sheltering at the Hmeimim Air Base near the coastal city of Jablah since March 7, when extremist militants went from house to house in predominantly Alawite towns and villages, killing residents and looting and burning their homes.

A few Alawites have left the base, seeking to return to their houses. Reuters reported on Friday that Rana Boushieh, 34, returned to her village, Al-Sanobar, on March 13. Her brother reassured her that the situation had stabilized and encouraged her to return home, arranging for her to be escorted by government security forces. 

However, others were scared to leave. "Honestly, there is definitely fear, but God willing, things will get better, God willing," she said.

Boushieh headed for the base with her family as the massacres were beginning.

Watch: Jolani's men try intimidating Alawite refugees right at the outer gates of Hmeimim airbase:

After being awoken by gunfire, she and her family quickly fled to another area of the village before escaping with other residents to Hmeimim, located 11 km away.

"In the Syrian coastal region, Reuters journalists saw many homes and shops torched and looted, and villages largely deserted, during a visit to the area on Thursday, on which they were accompanied by government security personnel,"” the British news agency reported.

One man speaking with Reuters said he found the bodies of his brother and nephew upon returning to Al-Sanobar. He preferred to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety.

The name of a Sunni extremist armed group linked to the government had been written in graffiti on walls in several places.

"You brought this upon yourselves," said one slogan. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Friday that government-linked forces have carried out 54 massacres since 6 March, killing at least 1,476 Alawite civilians.

The SOHR accused some international human rights organizations of "misrepresenting the violence as a conflict between warring factions, rather than acknowledging the atrocities as systematic massacres."

Russia is trying to keep good relations with the new Syrian government, which is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – Al-Qaeda's offshoot in Syria that Moscow fought against during the 2015 intervention.

HTS militants ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad's government and took power in December last year. Russian forces did not intervene on behalf of Assad's government as they had in the past.

Late last month, Reuters reported that Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey's growing influence in the country.

Tyler Durden Sat, 03/15/2025 - 12:50

Via The Cradle

Thousands of Syrian Alawites continue to seek sanctuary at a Russian air base, fearing for their lives in the wake of a series of horrific sectarian massacres carried out by Syrian government-affiliated extremist armed groups.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Thursday that about 9,000 people were seeking refuge at Hmeimim, an air base established by Russia as part of its 2015 intervention in the US-backed war that began in 2011 to topple the Syrian government of former president Bashar al-Assad.

Thousands of people have been sheltering at the Hmeimim Air Base near the coastal city of Jablah since March 7, when extremist militants went from house to house in predominantly Alawite towns and villages, killing residents and looting and burning their homes.

A few Alawites have left the base, seeking to return to their houses. Reuters reported on Friday that Rana Boushieh, 34, returned to her village, Al-Sanobar, on March 13. Her brother reassured her that the situation had stabilized and encouraged her to return home, arranging for her to be escorted by government security forces. 

However, others were scared to leave. “Honestly, there is definitely fear, but God willing, things will get better, God willing,” she said.

Boushieh headed for the base with her family as the massacres were beginning.

Watch: Jolani’s men try intimidating Alawite refugees right at the outer gates of Hmeimim airbase:

After being awoken by gunfire, she and her family quickly fled to another area of the village before escaping with other residents to Hmeimim, located 11 km away.

“In the Syrian coastal region, Reuters journalists saw many homes and shops torched and looted, and villages largely deserted, during a visit to the area on Thursday, on which they were accompanied by government security personnel,”” the British news agency reported.

One man speaking with Reuters said he found the bodies of his brother and nephew upon returning to Al-Sanobar. He preferred to remain anonymous out of fear for his safety.

The name of a Sunni extremist armed group linked to the government had been written in graffiti on walls in several places.

“You brought this upon yourselves,” said one slogan. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported Friday that government-linked forces have carried out 54 massacres since 6 March, killing at least 1,476 Alawite civilians.

The SOHR accused some international human rights organizations of “misrepresenting the violence as a conflict between warring factions, rather than acknowledging the atrocities as systematic massacres.”

Russia is trying to keep good relations with the new Syrian government, which is led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) – Al-Qaeda’s offshoot in Syria that Moscow fought against during the 2015 intervention.

HTS militants ousted Syrian president Bashar al-Assad’s government and took power in December last year. Russian forces did not intervene on behalf of Assad’s government as they had in the past.

Late last month, Reuters reported that Israel is lobbying the United States to keep Syria weak and decentralized, including by letting Russia keep its military bases there to counter Turkey’s growing influence in the country.

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