Syrian security forces fought with Al Assad loyalists for a second day in the country's coastal region on Friday, as the Islamist-led government sought to quell the deadliest unrest since the fall of the former regime.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, reported that more than 130 people had been killed in two days of clashes in the coastal region of western Syria, the heartland of the Alawite minority, former president Bashar Al Assad's sect.
Syrian authorities said that the two-day attack was “premeditated”. They were the bloodiest clashes since rebels led by the Hayat Tahrir Al Sham group took control of Syria and formed a government.
Government-aligned Syria TV said about 70 fighters were killed in the clashes, including 20 government security officers.
The UK war monitor claimed that dozens of Alawite civilians were killed by fighters affiliated with the HTS government. A video online showed dead in civilian clothes in Latakia, while another showed the mass killing of men.
The Syrian state news agency Sana, quoting a security source, said “individual violations” had been committed as a result of crowds heading to the coastal region on Thursday. “We are working to stop these violations,” the source said, without attributing responsibility for them.
The fighting started with an ambush on Thursday, when Assad supporters attacked security forces in Jableh, Latakia province.
Residents told The National they were trying to flee from the fighting. “All hell broke loose here,” said a resident who has been sheltering at home since Thursday night.
He described fierce fighting still under way. “We're hearing gunfire, rockets, cannons, mortars – a lot of people are dying. I'm just looking for a way to escape with my family,” he said, adding that most roads were cut off by the military. “Pray for us,” he added.
Syrian security forces sent reinforcements from other governorates to the coastal region. This includes Latakia and Tartous – heartland of the Alawite sect to which the Al Assad family belongs. Authorities have urged civilians to remain indoors.
Pictures online showed convoys of tanks lining roads to the coast, while roads leading out of the area were empty.
“We're waiting for the convoy to enter the city – they’re coming from Damascus and Idlib – to disarm the remnants of the regime. There won’t be sectarian tensions because security forces will restore calm,” said another resident.
“In the past days, we saw an incitement campaign on social media, with a leader from the remnants of Assad’s forces threatening Syria's new security patrols and the army, saying they were the targets,” said the resident.
“I was expecting something like to happen, and so was the entire city. Now we hope the calm will be restored for good.”
Elsewhere, demonstrators turned out in Damascus, Hama, Homs and Idlib in support of the operations by the new security forces to secure Jableh, Sana reported.
Authorities imposed overnight curfews on Alawite-populated areas, including Latakia, Tartous and Homs, Sana said.
'Most violent attacks since Assad was toppled'
Amid the violence, security forces captured and arrested former general intelligence chief Ibrahim Huweija on Thursday. He is accused of organising several assassinations during the rule of Hafez Al Assad, Bashar's father and predecessor, including the killing of Lebanese Druze leader Kamal Jumblatt.
Mr Al Huweija, who headed air force intelligence from 1987 to 2002, has long been a suspect in the 1977 murder of Mr Jumblatt.
Elsewhere in Latakia, security forces clashed with gunmen loyal to an Assad-era special forces commander after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes in the village of Beit Ana, the provincial security director said.
“The armed groups that our security forces were clashing with in the Latakia countryside were affiliated with the war criminal Suhail Al Hassan,” he told Sana.
Nicknamed The Tiger, Mr Al Hassan formerly led Syria's special forces and was frequently described as Mr Al Assad's favourite soldier. He was responsible for military advances by the Assad government in 2015.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported “strikes launched by Syrian helicopters on armed men in the village of Beit Ana and the surrounding forests, coinciding with artillery strikes on a neighbouring village”.
Sana said pro-Assad militias had opened fire on “members and equipment of the defence ministry” near the village, killing one security force member and wounding two.
Fadel Abdul Ghany, executive director of the Syrian Network for Human Rights, said the attacks by pro-Assad elements signalled “a level of planning and organisation that extends beyond isolated or sporadic incidents”.
“The operational tactics employed, including multi-axis co-ordination and strategic withdrawal into mountainous terrain post-engagement, reflect elements of well-executed guerrilla warfare,” he wrote on X.
Residents and organisations have reported violations during those campaigns, including the seizing of homes, killings and kidnappings. Syria's new authorities have described the violations as “isolated incidents” and vowed to pursue those responsible.
SPECS
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EEngine%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%201.5-litre%204-cylinder%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20101hp%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20135Nm%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3A%20Six-speed%20auto%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20From%20Dh79%2C900%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Director: Shady Ali
Cast: Boumi Fouad , Mohamed Tharout and Hisham Ismael
Rating: 3/5
Bugatti Chiron Super Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,600hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.4seconds
0-200kph in 5.8 seconds
0-300kph in 12.1 seconds
Top speed: 440kph
Price: Dh13,200,000
Bugatti Chiron Pur Sport - the specs:
Engine: 8.0-litre quad-turbo W16
Transmission: 7-speed DSG auto
Power: 1,500hp
Torque: 1,600Nm
0-100kph in 2.3 seconds
0-200kph in 5.5 seconds
0-300kph in 11.8 seconds
Top speed: 350kph
Price: Dh13,600,000
'The Batman'
Stars:Robert Pattinson
Director:Matt Reeves
Rating: 5/5
The biog
Favourite books: 'Ruth Bader Ginsburg: A Life' by Jane D. Mathews and ‘The Moment of Lift’ by Melinda Gates
Favourite travel destination: Greece, a blend of ancient history and captivating nature. It always has given me a sense of joy, endless possibilities, positive energy and wonderful people that make you feel at home.
Favourite pastime: travelling and experiencing different cultures across the globe.
Favourite quote: “In the future, there will be no female leaders. There will just be leaders” - Sheryl Sandberg, COO of Facebook.
Favourite Movie: Mona Lisa Smile
Favourite Author: Kahlil Gibran
Favourite Artist: Meryl Streep
What went into the film
25 visual effects (VFX) studios
2,150 VFX shots in a film with 2,500 shots
1,000 VFX artists
3,000 technicians
10 Concept artists, 25 3D designers
New sound technology, named 4D SRL
The National Archives, Abu Dhabi
Founded over 50 years ago, the National Archives collects valuable historical material relating to the UAE, and is the oldest and richest archive relating to the Arabian Gulf.
Much of the material can be viewed on line at the Arabian Gulf Digital Archive - https://www.agda.ae/en
The specs: 2018 Nissan Altima
Price, base / as tested: Dh78,000 / Dh97,650
Engine: 2.5-litre in-line four-cylinder
Power: 182hp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 244Nm @ 4,000rpm
Transmission: Continuously variable tranmission
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.6L / 100km
ACC 2019: The winners in full
Best Actress Maha Alemi, Sofia
Best Actor Mohamed Dhrif, Weldi
Best Screenplay Meryem Benm’Barek, Sofia
Best Documentary Of Fathers and Sons by Talal Derki
Best Film Yomeddine by Abu Bakr Shawky
Best Director Nadine Labaki, Capernaum
Classification of skills
A worker is categorised as skilled by the MOHRE based on nine levels given in the International Standard Classification of Occupations (ISCO) issued by the International Labour Organisation.
A skilled worker would be someone at a professional level (levels 1 – 5) which includes managers, professionals, technicians and associate professionals, clerical support workers, and service and sales workers.
The worker must also have an attested educational certificate higher than secondary or an equivalent certification, and earn a monthly salary of at least Dh4,000.
Abramovich London
A Kensington Palace Gardens house with 15 bedrooms is valued at more than £150 million.
A three-storey penthouse at Chelsea Waterfront bought for £22 million.
Steel company Evraz drops more than 10 per cent in trading after UK officials said it was potentially supplying the Russian military.
Sale of Chelsea Football Club is now impossible.
If you go
- The nearest international airport to the start of the Chuysky Trakt is in Novosibirsk. Emirates (www.emirates.com) offer codeshare flights with S7 Airlines (www.s7.ru) via Moscow for US$5,300 (Dh19,467) return including taxes. Cheaper flights are available on Flydubai and Air Astana or Aeroflot combination, flying via Astana in Kazakhstan or Moscow. Economy class tickets are available for US$650 (Dh2,400).
- The Double Tree by Hilton in Novosibirsk ( 7 383 2230100,) has double rooms from US$60 (Dh220). You can rent cabins at camp grounds or rooms in guesthouses in the towns for around US$25 (Dh90).
- The transport Minibuses run along the Chuysky Trakt but if you want to stop for sightseeing, hire a taxi from Gorno-Altaisk for about US$100 (Dh360) a day. Take a Russian phrasebook or download a translation app. Tour companies such as Altair-Tour ( 7 383 2125115 ) offer hiking and adventure packages.
Timeline
2012-2015
The company offers payments/bribes to win key contracts in the Middle East
May 2017
The UK SFO officially opens investigation into Petrofac’s use of agents, corruption, and potential bribery to secure contracts
September 2021
Petrofac pleads guilty to seven counts of failing to prevent bribery under the UK Bribery Act
October 2021
Court fines Petrofac £77 million for bribery. Former executive receives a two-year suspended sentence
December 2024
Petrofac enters into comprehensive restructuring to strengthen the financial position of the group
May 2025
The High Court of England and Wales approves the company’s restructuring plan
July 2025
The Court of Appeal issues a judgment challenging parts of the restructuring plan
August 2025
Petrofac issues a business update to execute the restructuring and confirms it will appeal the Court of Appeal decision
October 2025
Petrofac loses a major TenneT offshore wind contract worth €13 billion. Holding company files for administration in the UK. Petrofac delisted from the London Stock Exchange
November 2025
180 Petrofac employees laid off in the UAE
Trump v Khan
2016: Feud begins after Khan criticised Trump’s proposed Muslim travel ban to US
2017: Trump criticises Khan’s ‘no reason to be alarmed’ response to London Bridge terror attacks
2019: Trump calls Khan a “stone cold loser” before first state visit
2019: Trump tweets about “Khan’s Londonistan”, calling him “a national disgrace”
2022: Khan’s office attributes rise in Islamophobic abuse against the major to hostility stoked during Trump’s presidency
July 2025 During a golfing trip to Scotland, Trump calls Khan “a nasty person”
Sept 2025 Trump blames Khan for London’s “stabbings and the dirt and the filth”.
Dec 2025 Trump suggests migrants got Khan elected, calls him a “horrible, vicious, disgusting mayor”
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
The%20specs%3A%202024%20Mercedes%20E200
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SPEC%20SHEET
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
Generation Start-up: Awok company profile
Started: 2013
Founder: Ulugbek Yuldashev
Sector: e-commerce
Size: 600 plus
Stage: still in talks with VCs
Principal Investors: self-financed by founder
The specs: 2018 Mercedes-Benz E 300 Cabriolet
Price, base / as tested: Dh275,250 / Dh328,465
Engine: 2.0-litre four-cylinder
Power: 245hp @ 5,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm @ 1,300rpm
Transmission: Nine-speed automatic
Fuel consumption, combined: 7.0L / 100km
Our legal columnist
Name: Yousef Al Bahar
Advocate at Al Bahar & Associate Advocates and Legal Consultants, established in 1994
Education: Mr Al Bahar was born in 1979 and graduated in 2008 from the Judicial Institute. He took after his father, who was one of the first Emirati lawyers
THE SPECS
2020 Toyota Corolla Hybrid LE
Engine: 1.8 litre combined with 16-volt electric motors
Transmission: Automatic with manual shifting mode
Power: 121hp
Torque: 142Nm
Price: Dh95,900
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
