Iran’s FM: Insecurity in Syria will only benefit Israel, terrorist groups
340 Alawite civilians killed by Syrian security forces, allies, monitor says
Iran’s Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi expressed concerns about “dangerous developments” taking place in Syria, emphasizing the responsibility of the Arab country’s new rulers to ensure the security of all Syrians.
Araghchi made the remarks in a meeting with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan on the sidelines of a meeting of the Organization of Islamic Countries in Saudi Arabia on Saturday.
Iran’s top diplomat underlined that insecurity and instability in Syria will only benefit the Israeli regime and would cause terrorist and extremist groups taking advantage of the instable situation.
A Syria war monitor reported on Saturday that more than 300 civilians from the Alawite minority have been killed in recent days by security forces and their allies, as authorities clash with militants loyal to the former government of Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported on Saturday that “340 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal regions of Syria and the Latakia mountains by security forces and allied groups” since then.
The Observatory indicated they were killed in “executions” carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters and accompanied by “looting of homes and properties.”
The civilian deaths bring the overall toll to 553 people, including 93 members of the new government’s security forces and 120 pro-Assad fighters, data from the Observatory shows.
The killings followed clashes sparked by the arrest of an individual by security forces in a predominantly Alawite village, the Observatory reported.