Massacres in Syria Expose New President’s Struggle to Govern

Hundreds of fighters and hundreds more civilians are dead following the bloodiest clashes yet between the new Syrian government and militias loyal to the fallen regime of Bashar al-Assad.

On March 6, Assad loyalists ambushed police in a coastal region that is home to much of the country’s Alawite minority, which includes Assad and his family. Many other Alawites served in the Assad regime’s security apparatus. The clashes quickly spiraled into chaos, leading to atrocities against civilians — mainly Alawites — by pro-government factions. Pro-Assad forces then committed their own atrocities against civilians on the other side.

The violence was a testament to the failure of Ahmad al-Sharaa, Syria’s transitional president, on two critical fronts: First, there has been little to no accountability for those who committed grave crimes under Assad. Second, al-Sharaa has failed to establish effective control over the coalition of rebel forces he led in the final offensive against Assad.

Failure to Hold Assad-Era Criminals Accountable Fueled Resurgent Chaos

Al-Sharaa himself has stressed that Syria’s stability is likely to depend on accountability for Assad-era crimes. He declared last month, “There is a fine line between transitional justice and civil peace, and we will pursue all those who have committed crimes against the Syrian people.” However, al-Sharaa’s government has no clear plan to hold perpetrators accountable. Even when authorities arrested Assad regime officials, they soon walked free through settlements — handing over their weapons and military IDs in exchange for a card that granted them freedom of movement and shielded them from immediate questioning.

Those released include Fadi Saqer, a senior figure in the National Defense Forces, one of the regime’s wartime militias. The decision sparked outrage, with one Syrian commenting, “How can those whose hands are stained with the blood of Syrians be set free? If the remnants of the fallen regime continue to be released this way, the victims will take justice into their own hands.”

Rushed Military Integration Left Al-Sharaa Unable to Control Allied Factions

Only days after ousting Assad, al-Sharaa announced, “All military factions will be integrated into a single institution under the administration of the Ministry of Defense in the New Syrian Army.” However, the hurried process left many anti-Assad militias operating independently under their former leaders. This included multiple U.S.-designated terrorist organizations as well as factions within the Turkish-backed Syrian National Army (SNA) that Washington sanctioned for previous human rights abuses against Syrian Kurds. Two of the sanctioned SNA groups, the Suleiman Shah Brigade and the Hamzah Division, led most of the reprisal attacks against Alawite civilians despite the HTS-led Interior Ministry’s directive amid the clashes that “all pro-government forces should adhere to procedures used during the offensive against the Assad regime, namely, no targeting of civilians.” However, the killings continued.

Sharaa’s International Legitimacy Is Weakened.

The events on the Syrian coast sparked widespread international criticism. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said, “The United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadists, who murdered people in western Syria in recent days.” After the massacres, the government formed a committee to “investigate and inquire into the committed incidents.” The committee will provide its findings in “30 days to the necessary courts.” It is not clear whether the findings will be made public.

The United States should convey to al-Sharaa that it expects him to hold the perpetrators accountable and act appropriately to protect all minorities. If he proves unwilling or incapable, Washington should impose additional human rights sanctions on those responsible for atrocities. Additionally, the United States should make clear to Damascus that permanent relief from terrorism sanctions will not be possible until it ceases to harbor foreign fighters and terrorist organizations so Syria does not become a breeding ground for terrorism in the region.

Ahmad Sharawi is a research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies (FDD), where he focuses on Middle East affairs, specifically the Levant, Iraq, and Iranian intervention in Arab affairs, as well as U.S. foreign policy toward the region. For more analysis from Ahmad and FDD, please subscribe HERE. Follow Ahmad on X @AhmadA_Sharawi. Follow FDD on X @FDD. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, nonpartisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.