'Cold-Blooded Killing': The Cycle of Revenge in Northwest Syria
In a devastating week of violence in northwest Syria, over 1,000 individuals, including 745 civilians, lost their lives in attacks primarily targeting the Alawite minority. Mohammed Abdullah al-Ismaili, a municipal official in the Alawite village of Arza, expressed his faith in the new Syrian authorities to ensure safety, despite recent violent incidents. Just days after masked assailants killed eight men in Arza, Ismaili himself was murdered alongside 24 neighbors by mobs from nearby Sunni villages, who chanted anti-Alawite slogans during the attack.
This massacre was part of a broader wave of violence that erupted last week, marking some of the deadliest days since Syria's civil war began in 2011. The bloodshed, occurring three months after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, highlighted the deep divisions threatening to fracture the country. Revenge attacks have largely targeted Alawites, a minority group associated with the former regime, despite most having no involvement with Assad's government.
The violence followed a series of coordinated attacks by Assad loyalists against Syrian security forces, which prompted a widespread call to arms. Thousands of militia members and armed civilians soon descended on northwest Syria, leading to massacres, looting, and pillaging of Alawite communities. Disturbing footage emerged showing brutal acts against civilians, including humiliation and murder.
The Syrian Network for Human Rights reported that 529 civilians and prisoners were killed by armed groups and government forces. Two factions, the Hamzat division and the Sultan Suleiman Shah division, were implicated in many of these deaths. Assad loyalists were responsible for additional civilian and military casualties.
In Arza, survivors identified their attackers as residents of the nearby Sunni village of Khattab. Abu Jaber, a religious leader from Khattab, admitted to participating in the raid but claimed the violence was a response to past abuses by Arza residents. He justified the massacre as retribution for previous wrongs, echoing rhetoric used by the Assad regime.
Despite initial denials from Syrian officials, evidence of the massacre was undeniable. Survivors and witnesses described the brutality and looting that followed the killings, with security forces unable to protect the village.
The new Syrian president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has vowed to pursue transitional justice and accountability for those involved in past and recent atrocities. However, the promise of justice seems distant for many, as thousands of Alawites flee to Lebanon, fearing further violence.
In the aftermath, Arza remains largely abandoned, with residents reluctant to return despite government assurances. Abu Jaber warned against returning, suggesting that the Alawites should endure displacement as he did during the civil war, hoping for eventual justice.