Tensions Mount On Syrian Coast As Roadside Bombs Hit Government Forces (Videos)

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A shadowy Alawite rebel group has released videos showing two roadside bomb attacks that recently targeted the forces of Syria’s new Islamist-led government on the country’s coast, the heartland of the minority community.

One of the attacks seen in the two videos, published on September 3 and 4, took place on August 14 near the city of Jableh.

The group, which calls itself Men of Light – Saraya Al-Jawad (ML-SAJ), didn’t provide any further details about the attacks or their results.

AL-SAJ made its first appearance in July. At the time, several heavily-armed members of the group appeared in a video message vowing to fight the Syrian government and slamming Turkey and Qatar of “supporting terrorism” in Syria.

In the same video, the group’s members praised Mazloum Abdi, the commander of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) which controls much of northern and eastern Syria, Shikeh Hikmat al-Hijri, the spiritual leader of Druze in Syria and the de-facto ruler of al-Suwayda in the south of the country, in addition to Egypt and Edy Cohen, an Israeli journalist and specialist in the Arab–Israeli conflict.

Alawites, who make up the majority of the coast’s population, began facing discrimination right after the collapse of the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, who belongs to the ethno-religious community, in December. The situation quickly escalated to killings and kidnappings not only on the coast, but also in Alawite-majority areas in Hamas, Homs and the capital, Damascus, with government forces blamed in many cases.

In March, the Alawites rebelled on the coast. Nevertheless, the government managed to put the unorganized rebellion down within a few days. In the process, government forces killed around 1,500 Alawite civilians, including women and children.

The government launched an investigation into the massacres and later claimed that some of those responsible were arrested. These claims were, however, rejected by Alawite activists who noted a growing violence against the community since March, including the systematic abduction of women, the firing of government employees and the refusal to release thousands of former military troops who were detained after the collapse of the Assad regime.

Multiple Alawite rebel groups emerged on the coast in the weeks following the fall of the regime, some including personnel from the former military. However, none appear to be as organized as AL-SAJ.

The group’s recent attacks were the first known instances in which improvised explosive devices were used against government forces on the coast. Still, this does not mean that the group poses a major threat, as its capabilities appear to be very limited. Some Alawite activists even warned that the group may be just a false flag operation by the government.

The fall of the Assad regime left the Alawites with no regional or international allies. Several political bodies which have been formed since then, like the Alawite Islamic Supreme Council in Syria and the Diaspora, managed to build some relations with the SDF and the Druze, but that’s about it for now.

With no political, military or financial backing it is highly doubtful that AL-SAJ and other Alawite rebel groups will be able to mount an effective insurgency against government forces on the coast. However, this does not mean that the region will be stable.

With the government refusing to engage in any meaningful way with the Alawites and insisting on discriminating against them, tensions with the community are deemed to reach another boiling point like the one in March in the near future. As for the long term, these tensions will offer regional and international powers seeking to play a larger role in Syria a chance to intervene in a way or another.

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