On December 11, 2025, the village of Ain al-Hayat in Harf al-Masaytara, which belongs to the city of Qardaha in Latakia Governorate, witnessed a heavy security deployment accompanied by extensive house searches and the imposition of a strict security cordon, following an attempt by a force affiliated with the General Security of the interim authority “Hayat Tahrir al-Sham” to arrest one of the wanted men from the village.
According to the information received, a patrol belonging to the General Security attempted to raid the house of a wanted man in the village, which led to a brief clash between the raiding force and the targeted individual, before the latter managed to escape outside the village. Despite his escape, General Security forces imposed a full cordon on the entrances and exits of Ain al-Hayat and began house-search operations.
During the early hours of the operation, the deployed forces arrested four young men from the village who, according to activists, had no connection to the incident. The forces also continued sequential house searches in several areas, including the neighboring village of al-Qarandah.
In addition, inspection checkpoints were set up on the roads leading to the village and in its vicinity, where passersby were stopped and vehicles and mobile phones were inspected, causing widespread tension and fear among residents. This was accompanied by the arrival of additional military reinforcements, with more than 10 vehicles belonging to the General Security observed heading toward Jabal al-Qardaha.
The ongoing security cordon in Ain al-Hayat is raising residents’ concerns about the expansion of arrests or the continuation of movement restrictions inside the village and its surroundings.
