According to The Syrian Observer, anti-riot forces blocked regime supporters travelling from Damascus from entering Homs' al-Nuzha and al-Zahra neighbourhoods—both focal points of earlier demonstrations calling for decentralisation and the liberation of political prisoners. Security units ordered the dispersal of rallies to prevent further escalation into predominantly Alawite areas.
In Lattakia, opposing protests continued late into the night following earlier rallies organised by Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, head of the Supreme Islamic Alawite Council in Syria and the Diaspora. Those demonstrations had echoed demands for federalism and the release of detainees, fuelling fears of renewed divisions in a coastal region long associated with the former Assad regime.
The al-Zira'a neighbourhood in Lattakia was placed under heightened security after Internal Security Forces came under sporadic gunfire. Reinforcements were deployed to deter direct confrontations. The flare-up follows a series of volatile incidents, including the killing of a Bedouin couple in Homs and the discovery of mass graves in al-Karm al-Zaytoun—events that have sparked retaliatory attacks between Bedouin and Alawite communities.
Brigadier General Abdul Aziz Hilal al-Ahmad, head of Internal Security in Lattakia Province, characterised the unrest as sectarian provocation masked as civil protest. "What began as calls for reform quickly devolved into orchestrated incitement, fuelled by expatriate media propagating hate speech and communal division," he told the Syrian Arab News Agency. General al-Ahmad confirmed that two security officers and several civilians were injured in al-Zira'a after protesters opened fire and set security vehicles ablaze.
Meanwhile, the Syrian Democratic Forces, with support from the US-led International Coalition, conducted a separate operation east of Deir ez-Zor, arresting an alleged ISIS affiliate. However, political commentator Jassim al-Alawi challenged the official account, claiming the detained individual was targeted for tribal activism rather than jihadist links.
These developments occur in the shadow of March's Alawite massacres, which left more than 1,700 dead according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. While recent protests have remained largely peaceful—featuring chants such as "The Syrian people are one; the Alawite spirit shall not kneel"—they have increasingly devolved into violent altercations.
With curfews now imposed in Tartus and Homs and more than 120 arrests made in Homs alone, the Syrian government's handling of detainee demands and federalist calls may determine whether the revolution's promise of unity can endure. As the Sharaa administration navigates transitional justice and minority inclusion, the coastal unrest is emerging as a critical test for Syria's fragile new order.