A new chapter in Syria’s long and bloody history is unfolding, and its opening pages are already soaked in blood. The fall of the Assad regime was supposed to mark a turning point, yet a new conflict has erupted — this time along Syria’s coastal region, where the Alawite minority faces a brutal reckoning.

For half a century, Syria’s Alawite minority dominated the country under the Assad dynasty, securing power through military control and suppressing Sunni opposition. Now, with the rise of a Sunni Islamist-led government, the Alawites find themselves on the defensive — targeted by the very forces that until recently, they ruled over.

The new Syrian government, which emerged after Assad’s downfall, is led by Syria’s new president, Ahmad Al-Sharaa — better known as Abu Mohammad al-Julani, the former leader of Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a Sunni Islamist militant group. Once labeled a radical jihadist, seeking legitimacy on the world stage, Al-Sharaa has rebranded himself as a pragmatic leader.

But his rise has reignited old sectarian tensions, particularly among the Alawites, who fear retribution for their past dominance. Those fears are quickly becoming reality.

The Alawites, fearing massacre at the hands of the new regime, have formed the Coastal Defense Brigade, an armed militia determined to protect their community. While the Syrian government claims the recent clashes were provoked by Alawite militias, the Alawites accuse government forces of carrying out systematic massacres — forcing........

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