Description: HTS (Hayat Tahrir al – Sham) – led interim government forces have clashed with remnants from the Alawite sect which supported ousted President Bashar al – Assad. Tensions began earlier last week when government armed forces conducted security patrols in sectarian sensitive regions. According to Syria’s Observatory for Human Rights more than 1,000 people have been killed by Islamic led HTS government forces, which mostly pertained to other ethnic origins such as Alawites, Christians and Druze. Syria’s interim President Ahmed Sharaa has sent mixed signals in his press conferences where he both condemned the violence and supported the so – called government consolidation of law, order and territorial integrity. The conflicts mostly engulfed the western coastal cities of Jableh and Baniyas, where most civilians fled to the Russian military base at Hmeimim in Latakia.
Impact: Syria’s sensitive state of internal affairs has escalated as interim President Ahmed Sharaa aimed at consolidating power. Sharaa met with several leaders of states before the violent conflicts commenced including Turkish President Erdogan where pledges for conforming towards a unified government were made. Syria is home to numerous insurgency and armed militant groups with diversified charters, which could further contribute towards violent escalations in the heartland of the country, plunging Syria into another cycle of militant insurgency. Syria’s obvious inadequate approach towards founding governance and deepened security crisis could inflict severe destabilization in the Middle East, making the country a longstanding hub for terrorist activities.