Syrian families, fearing for their lives amid rising sectarian violence, crossed into Lebanon on Tuesday, with many walking through the Nahr El Kabir River in a desperate bid to escape the killings targeting their Alawite community. Hundreds have fled in recent days, leaving behind homes and loved ones as militants continue their violent campaign in Syria’s coastal region.
One woman, who crossed into Lebanon on Sunday, described the horrors she witnessed in her village. “We saw seven bodies,” she said, referring to those slaughtered by the attackers. Others recounted spending days trapped in their homes, unable to escape the heavy gunfire that surrounded them. Militants had threatened to kill all the Alawites in the area, claiming that the entire community was guilty of allegiance to the ousted regime of Bashar al-Assad.
The flow of refugees continued unabated, with more than 350 families reportedly fleeing to Lebanon. In just a 30-minute window on Tuesday, over 50 individuals crossed the river into Lebanon, carrying whatever possessions they could salvage. As the violence escalated, the UN human rights office reported the killing of entire families, including women and children.
The violence began last Thursday when Syria’s Sunni Islamist-led government forces were reportedly attacked by remnants of the regime loyal to Assad, a member of the Alawite sect. In response, security forces surged into the coastal region, aiming to suppress the insurgents. Mosques in the region issued calls for jihad, and during the subsequent violence, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that more than 1,200 civilians had been killed, the vast majority of them Alawites.
Syria’s interim president, Ahmed Al-Sharaa, vowed to punish those responsible for the killings, including any members of his own government if implicated. However, he noted that the involvement of defense ministry forces, which now include former rebels, had not been confirmed.
Abou Jaafar Sakkour, who fled from his village of Khirbet Al-Hamam near the Lebanese border, described how militants had threatened to kill the Alawite residents, forcing them to leave their homes. Some of the attackers were Syrian, while others were foreign militants. “What are we guilty of? We want international protection,” Sakkour said, calling for help from any country willing to assist them.
As the violence continues to tear through Syria, neighboring Lebanon has become a refuge for many, as Lebanese Alawites helped the Syrian refugees cross the river and find safety. The Syrian conflict, which has been raging since 2011, has already forced over a million refugees into Lebanon, further straining the country’s resources.
Among the refugees crossing into Lebanon on Tuesday was a woman from Tartous, who had been trapped indoors for three days by constant gunfire. “We didn’t go out, we didn’t even stand by the windows, we shut the curtains and stayed inside, locked up for three days,” she said, visibly shaken by the violence.
The ongoing sectarian killings in Syria threaten to escalate further, with more Alawite families fleeing to Lebanon, seeking safety from the mounting violence.
Source: https://www.arabnews.com/node/2593291/middle-east