On the evening of Tuesday, November 25, 2025, streets in the city of Latakia witnessed gatherings by supporters of the “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” interim authority, during which they launched sectarian chants and insults targeting the Alawite sect, according to footage widely circulated online.
This comes after several areas in the Syrian coast and the center of the country witnessed peaceful demonstrations and gatherings yesterday, Tuesday, November 25, 2025, by members of the Alawite sect in response to a call by Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal to demonstrate in protest of the violent events that took place in the city of Homs three days ago.
Participants raised slogans demanding a stop to what they described as “systematic violence” against members of the Alawite sect in Syria, and they called for the adoption of a federal system of government, affirming their support for Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal and considering him their representative.
During a number of gatherings in Jableh, Latakia, and other areas, gunfire was recorded from elements of the Public Security affiliated with the “Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham” interim authority, resulting in casualties according to preliminary information.
These demonstrations follow a wave of attacks and armed assaults that took place in the city of Homs on November 23, 2025, targeting neighborhoods with an Alawite majority. This occurred against the backdrop of a murder that took place on the morning of the same day in the town of Zaydal south of the city, which claimed the lives of a Sunni couple from the Bani Khalid tribe. Writings found at the crime scene had a sectarian nature.
Following the spread of news of the crime, tensions escalated rapidly in Homs, and the city witnessed widespread armed attacks involving members of the Bani Khalid tribe and Bedouin groups, primarily targeting areas inhabited by an Alawite majority.
The head of the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the Diaspora, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, had issued a statement on Monday calling for peaceful demonstrations Tuesday, to denounce the violence and demand federalism, stressing the necessity of avoiding sectarian rhetoric and not being drawn into attempts of incitement and sedition.
