In a discriminatory and controversial incident, entities affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (the de facto authority in parts of Syria) in the Baniyas area of Tartous Governorate, western Syria, carried out a series of forced mass transfer decisions affecting 108 teachers, most of whom belong to the Alawite community.
According to activists and local sources, the decision—revealed on October 14, 2025—is part of a systematic policy with sectarian motives aimed at weakening the social influence of the Alawite community in the region by dismantling its educational staff and transferring them to dangerous or sectarianly sensitive areas.
Documented Information
Nature of the incident: Forced mass transfer decisions targeting educational staff.
Perpetrating entity: Entities affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (the interim authority in Syria).
Location: Baniyas area, Tartous Governorate, western Syria.
Villages of origin (from which the teachers were transferred):
Al-Zalou, Tayrou, Al-Manzaleh, Deir al-Beshel, Barmaya, Al-Qulou’, Al-Drouk, Harisoun, Muhwarti, and Bustan al-Hammam.
Destination villages (to which the teachers were transferred):
Al-Bayda, Basateen al-Assad, Ras al-Naba’, Qalaat al-Marqab, and Al-Adima.
Victims:
Number: 108 male and female teachers.
Sectarian identity: Most of them belong to the Alawite community.
Broader Context:
This incident falls within a broader systematic policy pursued by Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham, as evidenced by similar events—such as the collective dismissal of hundreds of workers from the General Company for Spinning and Weaving in Latakia and Jableh on October 9, 2025—most of whom were also from the Alawite community.
