Trouble worsens in Syria as clashes break out

With the swift fall of the Bashar Al Assad regime in December, and the rather smooth transition to a government led by the anti-Assad forces, which is now led by Ahmed Al-Sharaa, it seemed that Syria was on the way to a period of peace and reconstruction.

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One of the reasons for the assumption was that there was not much resistance from the Assad group, and the new government did not seem to look for enemies. The mood was one of reconciliation. It seems that the peaceful time has ended, and trouble erupted in the northwest region of Syria, which is dominated by the Alawite sect to which the Assads belong. The Syrian government says that violence erupted in the governorates of Latakia and Tartous.

The situation is delicate because it is not clear whether it is the pro-Assad forces that are fighting the government, or it is the Alawites as a sect who are fighting. If it is the pro-Assad forces, then they would be in a minority and they will not be able to sustain resistance.

But if it is a sectarian battle between the minority Shia sect of Alawites against the majority Sunnis, then it takes a different colour. It becomes a sectarian battle on religious lines, which would be more difficult to defuse.