CV NEWS FEED // In a joint statement, the three patriarchs of the largest Christian communities in Syria strongly condemned the violence that has ravaged the country’s coastal region, demanding restraint, particularly from government militias.
According to a European security report accessed by CatholicVote, intense clashes erupted on March 6 between the General Security Forces of the new government – comprised of factions affiliated with Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) Sunni Muslims – and remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s former regime. The conflict quickly spread to Latakia, Jableh, Tartus, Banias, rural Hama, and rural Homs, “resulting in catastrophic civilian casualties and widespread infrastructure destruction.”
The poorly organized Security Forces, mainly composed of former Islamist guerrillas, sustained 143 confirmed fatalities but caused over 3,000 reported civilian deaths, predominantly among Alawite communities and a smaller number of Christians. The Alawites, a Muslim sect, are considered “heretical” by Sunni extremists.
According to the report, “(the) bodies of civilians (were) dumped into the sea or transported to unknown locations, preventing dignified burials,” while “field executions were reported in streets, hospitals, and public areas.”
HTS-linked factions, acting as government forces, raided homes and businesses belonging to minorities, including Christians, leading to “widespread looting of gold, cash, and valuables.”
“Commercial properties (were) vandalized; vehicles burned; shops and clinics destroyed,” the report also stated.
In their joint statement issued on March 8, the Patriarchs in Syria denounced the “dangerous escalation of violence, brutality, and killings, resulting in attacks on innocent civilians, including women and children.”
“The Christian Churches, while strongly condemning any act that threatens civil peace, denounce and condemn the massacres targeting innocent civilians, and call for an immediate end to these horrific acts, which stand in stark opposition to all human and moral values,” the statement says.
The Patriarchs also urge “efforts to establish an environment that facilitates the transition to a state that respects all its citizens and lays the foundation for a society based on equal citizenship and genuine partnership, free from the logic of vengeance and exclusion.”
The statement, signed by John X, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, Syriac Patriarch of Antioch and Supreme Head of the Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and Youssef Absi, Melkite Greek Catholic Patriarch of Antioch and All the East, calls “on all concerned parties within Syria to assume their responsibilities, put an end to the violence, and seek peaceful solutions that uphold human dignity and preserve national unity.”
On the same day, Tristan Azbej, Hungary’s State Secretary for the Aid of Persecuted Christians, posted on his X account: “Tragic news from Syria’s coastal region: according to our partners, outbreaks of violence have led to the massacre of 100s of civilians—mostly Alawites, along with dozens of Christians. We’re monitoring the situation & exploring humanitarian options. This violence must end!!”
On Sunday, March 9, Secretary of State Marco Rubio issued a statement making clear that “the United States condemns the radical Islamist terrorists, including foreign jihadis, that murdered people in western Syria in recent days.”
“The United States stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families. Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria’s minority communities accountable,” Rubio wrote.
Also on Sunday, Marijana Petir, a member of the Croatian parliament and a well-known advocate for religious freedom, shared with CatholicVote that the Croatian ambassador to Egypt – who also covers Syria – requested an urgent meeting with the Syrian ambassador to Egypt following orders from the Croatian Minister of Foreign Affairs “due to the killing of Christians in Syria.” The meeting had just concluded.
“The Syrian ambassador said that he expects the situation to consolidate over the next week, and that the conflict occurred (and is occurring) because one of the organizations that was in the initial coalition (otherwise Islamist) tried to hijack the ‘revolution,’” said Petir.
The European Union stirred some controversy with a March 8 statement condemning the anti-government partisans in the conflict, seeming to emphasize their loyalty to the recently overthrown regime of President Bashar al-Assad rather than condemning the new government’s massacre of civilians.
“The European Union strongly condemns the recent attacks, reportedly by pro-Assad elements, on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians,” the EU diplomatic service stated. The statement further called on all external actors to fully respect Syrian “stability and the prospects for a lasting peaceful transition, inclusive and respectful of all Syrians in their diversity.”
The sharp contrast between the EU and US responses highlights President Donald Trump’s longstanding opposition to international actions in the Middle East, which he has often characterized as destabilizing and dangerous. He opposed US support for Al Qaeda-linked forces that fought to overthrow the Assad regime.
“Our current strategy of nation-building and regime change is a proven failure. We have created the vacuums that allow terrorists to grow and thrive,” Trump said in a campaign speech ahead of his first election to the White House. “Our new approach … must be to halt the spread of radical Islam.”
During the January 30 Senate confirmation hearing for Trump’s Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard, she similarly criticized past US intelligence programs, specifically highlighting the CIA’s Timber Sycamore initiative, which involved collaborating with and arming al-Qaeda affiliates to overthrow the Syrian government.
As CatholicVote reported at the time, Gabbard argued that such actions effectively strengthened radical Islamist groups responsible for persecuting Christians and other religious minorities in the region.
Jihadist forces, including some recruited from elsewhere in the Arab world, succeeded in overthrowing the Assad regime in December 2024.