Gunmen have killed and abducted 14 members of Syria's Alawite minority in the space of 72 hours, it was revealed on Sunday, as security forces cordoned off neighbourhoods to prevent further attacks.
The killings are the latest outbreak of sectarian violence in Sunni-majority Syria targeting mainly Alawites, who lost out when forces led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS) removed Bashar Al Assad late last year. The HTS ascendancy has ended Alawite control of the security forces and changed the region's dynamics, depriving Shiite Iran of a forward position and cutting off a supply line for Hezbollah.
Members of the Al Fawara tribe entered Alawite areas of Homs on motorcycles on Thursday and Friday, carrying AK-47 rifles and abducting men from streets and businesses, according to residents and members of the Alawite sect. Their bodies were found on the outskirts of the city over the past 48 hours.
Ahmad Al Zuaiter, a former Alawite political prisoner who was detained several times for opposing the Assad regime, said the bloodshed started after security forces entered Al Bayada, a Sunni neighbourhood, looking for a wanted man from Al Fawara. The tribe clashed with security forces, then mounted the incursions into Alawite neighbourhoods.
"The Alawites had nothing to do with it," Mr Al Zuaiter told The National. The gunmen are believed to have entered the Zahra and Nuzha districts and other neighbourhoods in Homs.
Mustafa Al Mroueh, a Sunni figure who has been working on initiatives to halt revenge killings in Homs, said security forces had cordoned off Alawite neighbourhoods but could not prevent infiltrations. "Homs is too intertwined and those who wanted to harm the Alawites managed to do so," he said.
The city is home to Syria's main oil refinery and lies on a motorway leading from the capital Damascus to the Mediterranean coast. It was overwhelmingly Sunni before Hafez Al Assad, father of ousted president Bashar, took power in 1970.
Assad cousin
Rami Makhlouf, a billionaire cousin of Bashar Al Assad who was stripped of his assets after falling out with the former president, described the latest killings in Homs as a massacre.
He said in a social media post that he was working with Alawite former army commander Suhail Al Hassan to set up new forces to “defend ourselves against those coming to slaughter us”. He said the supposed force “does not want to assault anyone” and that a “new epoch should begin in Syria, based on “love and forgiveness”.
Mr Makhlouf, whose whereabouts are unknown, also called on Russia to “include in its care” the coastal region of Syria, the ancestral heartland of the Alawites.
Alawite dominance
The elder Mr Al Assad offered positions in the bureaucracy and state-owned enterprises disproportionately to Alawites, attracting members of the sect to Homs and other urban centres.
Alawite control over the security apparatus also deepened, with the sect underpinning the officer class. During the civil war that began in 2011, Alawites formed the core of the Shabbiha, paramilitary forces loyal to the Assad regime and blamed for some of the bloodiest killings of Sunni civilians.
In the past four months, HTS and militias allied with the group have mounted incursions into Alawite areas, mainly in Homs and the coast, in a hunt officially described as targeting regime remnants.
Sectarian bloodshed in these areas quickly followed and several hundred Alawites were killed, many randomly with no established link to the former regime, activists say. On March 7 and 8, at least 1,300 people were killed, mostly Alawite civilians along Syria's coast, amid incursions by HTS-led forces that were met by ambushes.
UN envoy to Syria Geir Pedersen told the Security Council on Friday that a "sense of grievance still exists" among both Assad loyalists and supporters of the new regime. He described it as a "deep feeling of exclusion from the political process and the public sector on one side, but also profound grievances towards people associated with the former regime on the other".
"Every step towards establishing the rule of law – and moving on transitional justice – will help reassure all components of the Syrian society," Mr Pedersen said.
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
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
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LAST 16 DRAW
Borussia Dortmund v PSG
Real Madrid v Manchester City
Atalanta v Valencia
Atletico Madrid v Liverpool
Chelsea v Bayern Munich
Lyon v Juventus
Tottenham v Leipzig
Napoli v Barcelona
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”
Ziina users can donate to relief efforts in Beirut
Ziina users will be able to use the app to help relief efforts in Beirut, which has been left reeling after an August blast caused an estimated $15 billion in damage and left thousands homeless. Ziina has partnered with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees to raise money for the Lebanese capital, co-founder Faisal Toukan says. “As of October 1, the UNHCR has the first certified badge on Ziina and is automatically part of user's top friends' list during this campaign. Users can now donate any amount to the Beirut relief with two clicks. The money raised will go towards rebuilding houses for the families that were impacted by the explosion.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League semi-final, first leg
Bayern Munich v Real Madrid
When: April 25, 10.45pm kick-off (UAE)
Where: Allianz Arena, Munich
Live: BeIN Sports HD
Second leg: May 1, Santiago Bernabeu, Madrid
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).
Who's who in Yemen conflict
Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government
Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council
Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south
Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory
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”.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Mamo Year it started: 2019 Founders: Imad Gharazeddine, Asim Janjua Based: Dubai, UAE Number of employees: 28 Sector: Financial services Investment: $9.5m Funding stage: Pre-Series A Investors: Global Ventures, GFC, 4DX Ventures, AlRajhi Partners, Olive Tree Capital, and prominent Silicon Valley investors. Profile of Udrive
Date started: March 2016
Founder: Hasib Khan
Based: Dubai
Employees: 40
Amount raised (to date): $3.25m – $750,000 seed funding in 2017 and a Seed round of $2.5m last year. Raised $1.3m from Eureeca investors in January 2021 as part of a Series A round with a $5m target.
