11 Alawite Civilians Killed in Security Raids: Syria War Monitor

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, the deaths occurred in Homs province and included university students. The group described the killings as "sectarian" in nature, blaming security forces and affiliated groups for the raids.

The Observatory, which gathers information through a network of sources inside Syria, said three of the victims died under torture following their detention.

Homs province has recently witnessed a spike in violence and rights violations, which the Observatory attributes to growing security instability and a lack of accountability.

The latest deaths come on the heels of last month’s deadly sectarian violence—the worst since Islamist-led forces toppled former president Bashar al-Assad. That wave of bloodshed, particularly in the Alawite-dominated coastal regions, claimed over 1,700 civilian lives, most of them Alawites, according to the Observatory.

The UN human rights office has reported that during those attacks, perpetrators went door-to-door asking residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before deciding who to kill. Many men were reportedly executed in front of their families.

Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, whose Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) led the assault that unseated Assad, has blamed Assad loyalists for provoking the violence by targeting security personnel.

Sharaa launched a formal inquiry into the killings in mid-March. While initially set to conclude within a month, the investigation's mandate has since been extended by three more months.