section_path: Responses/Domestic
section_name: Domestic
paragraph_text: Domestic
  
  On 7 March, the advisor to the former Alawite Council president, Muhammad Nasser, claimed to Hezbollah newspaper Al-Ahed that entire families had been executed. He alleged that over 1,700 civilians had been killed. The Syrian Democratic Forces ' Hawar News Agency gave the same figure, citing "local sources".
  
  The Alawite Islamic Council released a statement attributing responsibility for the violence to the government. The council claimed that military convoys had been dispatched to the coastal region under the pretext of targeting "regime remnants" but were instead "terrorizing and killing Syrians." The organization called for United Nations protection for the coastal territories.
  
  The Syrian government's news agency SANA acknowledged "some individual violations" following attacks by pro-Assad forces that had resulted in police casualties, stating that authorities were "working to stop them." The agency also reported that several individuals traveled to Alawite coastal settlements to carry out revenge for attacks against the government.
  
  The Syrian General Intelligence Service accused "former military and security leaders affiliated with the defunct regime behind the planning of these crimes" regarding the cause of the escalated violence. The Ministry of Defense stated that government units had successfully re-taken areas where pro-Assad forces attacked its forces.
  
  Later that day the Syrian presidency announced the formation of a seven-member independent committee to investigate the incidents. This committee is tasked with examining violations against civilians, identifying those responsible, and has the authority to question individuals as part of its inquiry. They are required to submit a comprehensive report within 30 days, after which those found culpable will be referred to the judiciary for prosecution.
  
  In a speech addressing Syrian people on 8 March, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa stated: "Some remnants of the fallen regime attempted to test the new Syria they do not understand. Today, they see it as united, from east to west, from north to south,...". Condemning the attacks against police forces, hospitals and civilians by Assadist insurgents, al-Sharaa said: "You attacked all Syrians and made an unforgivable mistake. The riposte has come, and you have not been able to withstand it." He demanded that they surrender their arms "before it's too late." He stated that he would "continue to work towards monopolizing weapons in the hands of the state, and there will be no more unregulated weapons." Al-Sharaa urged pro-government fighters to "avoid any abuses" after reports emerged of massacres of Alawite civilians in Latakia.
  
  On 8 March 2025, the Syrian Ministry of Defense said that it wouldn't let violations be committed by the Syrian Army's Forces or any other armed militants, and that an emergency committee was formed to refer disobeying units to a military court. The spokesman of the Ministry of Defense Hassan Abdel Ghani urged militants who have no connection to the military operation in the Syrian coast to leave the area.
  
  On 8 March, the International Committee of the Red Cross in Syria posted on social media that the organization was "extremely concerned" about the reported violence, and insisted that all parties involved not target medical facilities, allow for unhindered health care access, and allow for humanitarian workers to reach the injured and dead.
  
  On 9 March 2025, President al-Sharaa issued a decision to form an independent national committee to investigate and find the facts about the events and violations that took place in the Syrian coastal areas since 6 March 2025. The committee was tasked with uncovering the circumstances and conditions that led to those events, and the violations against civilians, government forces and security personnel that occurred, and identifying those responsible and bringing them to justice. al-Sharaa stressed that the committee, consisting of seven judges, should submit its report to the president of the Republic within a maximum period of 30 days from the date of issuance of the decision. al-Sharaa described the violence along the coast as a part of "expected challenges".
  
  The Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) condemned the violence against the Alawites, with Mazloum Abdi calling on al-Sharaa to hold the perpetrators of the massacres accountable, and to stop the violence. Abdi stated extremist groups were attempting to "create sectarian conflicts and settle internal scores" across Syria.
  
  On 10 March 2025, President al-Sharaa condemned the recent mass killings of Alawites, emphasizing that such violence threatens national unity. He pledged to hold all perpetrators accountable, including those within his own ranks, stating, "We won't accept that any blood be shed unjustly, or goes without punishment or accountability, even among those closest to us". al-Sharaa attributed the initial violence to pro-Assad groups backed by foreign entities but acknowledged subsequent revenge attacks. He reiterated his commitment to uphold the rule of law and prevent the nation from descending into sectarian conflict. On 10 March 2025, the SDF reached an agreement with the Syrian transitional government to integrate SDF-controlled institutions into the state, open border crossings, and a commitment to combat remnants of the former regime. The DAANES later rejected a new drafted Syrian constitution, the Syrian Democratic Council warned of increased violence in Syria, sectarianism, and authoritarianism. On 6 June, the Syrian government's Supreme Fatwa Council issued a fatwa banning all forms of extrajudicial killing, including tribal clashes and vigilantism.