Syrian interior minister visits Homs, Hama, Latakia after sectarian tensions

Syrian Interior Minister Anas Khattab visited the Syrian city of Homs on Wednesday following sectarian violence which began after the brutal murder of a married couple in the nearby town of Zaidal. He then visited the provinces of Tartus and Latakia, which have an Alawite majority and were recently the scene of anti-government unrest.

Khattab inspected the scene of the murder in Zaidal. A Sunni Bedouin couple were killed in their home on Sunday and sectarian slogans associated with the Alawite community were found at the scene. Following this, armed Bedouin men rampaged through Alawite areas of Homs, setting fire to cars and attacking homes.

Syrian authorities said however that the murder was purely criminal in nature and that the slogans were painted to mislead regarding the motive.

Following the violence, Syrian security forces deployed in Homs and imposed a curfew on some areas of the city. There were no reports of casualties.

Khattab praised “the considerable role played by the security leadership and the awareness of the people of Homs in calming the situation and extinguishing discord”.

Khattab later also visited Tartus and Latakia, which were strongholds of the regime of former dictator Bashar al-Assad, and met with protesters according to The New Arab’s sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed.

Rival protests broke out in Latakia on Tuesday, with Alawites calling for an end to sectarianism and more controversially, federalism and the release of prisoners held by the government. The government says these prisoners are military officers from the former Assad regime and are accused of serious crimes.

Sunni protesters demonstrated in support of the government and there were scuffles and clashes between the two sides, with reports of gunfire and injuries.

Khattab praised “the good conduct of security personnel in dealing with protesters” and added that the Interior Ministry is “keen on preserving security, while also safeguarding freedom of expression within the framework of the law and constitution” while working against “incitement and chaos”.

Nour al-Din Al-Baba, a spokesman for Syria’s Interior Ministry on Monday said that the recent unrest was fuelled by the spread of weapons during the Syrian conflict, blaming the Assad regime, which was overthrown in December 2024.

“The phenomenon of uncontrolled weapons is a legacy of the former regime, which spread weapons in the past to ignite sectarian wars,” he said, adding that authorities were working to “control the spread of weapons and ensure they are held only by the state and its official institutions.”

Al-Baba added that 120 people had been arrested over the rioting in Homs.