Supreme Alawite Council Condemns Repressive Practices in Aleppo

AP

Vehicle burning after being hit by shelling in Aleppo, Syria..

The Supreme Alawite Council in Syria and Abroad has issued a strong condemnation of what it described as repressive practices by the de facto authorities, led by interim president Abu Muhammad al-Jolani, in Syria’s coastal region and in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods of Aleppo.

In a statement released on Thursday, the Council said that these practices include arbitrary arrests, extrajudicial killings and the imposition of a heavy security presence in civilian areas. It added that such actions constitute a grave violation of human rights and pose a direct threat to Syria’s social fabric.

The Council warned that the continuation of what it termed repressive policies would lead to the complete collapse of Syrian society. It held responsible all those who, it said, insist on governing the country through violence and exclusion rather than through the rule of law and established state institutions.

The statement called for an immediate end to arrests and summary executions, the withdrawal of armed forces from residential neighbourhoods, and firm guarantees to protect all civilians without discrimination. It also urged the launch of a serious political process founded on justice and the implementation of relevant international resolutions, particularly UN Security Council Resolutions 2254 and 2799.

In addition, the Council appealed to the international community to fulfil its responsibilities and not remain silent in the face of these developments. It stressed that saving Syria would not be achieved through repression, but through the rule of law, the protection of civilians, and the establishment of a democratic, decentralised and consensual political constitution that guarantees the rights of all Syrians.

Tensions between Syrian government forces and the internal security forces (Asayish) in Aleppo have been  ongoing since Tuesday, causing civilian deaths and injuries.

The Syrian state news agency SANA reported that the army had launched heavy and concentrated shelling on the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods.

Earlier, the Syrian army had released maps identifying areas in Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh that residents were ordered to evacuate in preparation for military operations. Syrian authorities issued an ultimatum to civilians in the two predominantly Kurdish neighbourhoods, instructing them to leave their homes ahead of the resumption of shelling.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights has released figures detailing casualties since the first day of the escalation, reporting a total of 18 fatalities.

According to the Observatory, 12 civilians were killed, including four women and three children. Nine of the civilian deaths — comprising five men, two women, and two children — occurred in the Sheikh Maqsoud and Ashrafieh neighbourhoods, while three civilians, including two women and one child, were killed in the Midan neighbourhood.

In addition, six members of military forces from both sides were killed, including one fighter from the Internal Security Forces and five personnel affiliated with the Syrian Ministry of Defence.

The Observatory reiterated its warning about “the serious repercussions of the continued escalation on the lives of civilians and the infrastructure in the city of Aleppo.”

The renewed violence comes amid growing international calls for an immediate halt to the fighting and for all parties to engage in dialogue to resolve the dispute and prevent further escalation.

U.S. is "closely monitoring" the tensions in Aleppo, a State Department spokesperson said.

"The United States is closely monitoring the situation.  We urge restraint on all sides," the spokesperson told Rudaw.  

"All parties should focus on how to build a peaceful, stable Syria that protects and serves the interests of all Syrians, rather than pushing the country back into a cycle of violence," they added. 

"Attacks by the Syrian regime's forces against the Kurdish minority in the city of Aleppo -- are grave and dangerous," Israel's Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on X.

"The international community in general, and the West in particular, owes a debt of honor to the Kurds who fought bravely and successfully against ISIS," he added.

Moreover, he said that systematic and murderous repression of Syria’s various minorities contradicts the promises of a “new Syria.” 

"Silence on the part of the international community will lead to an escalation of the violence by the Syrian regime," he noted.

The United Nations has called for an immediate de-escalation of the situation and the resumption of negotiations, as demonstrations condemning the escalation took place in the nearby city of Qamishli.

Meanwhile, Türkiye announced its readiness to support the Syrian army should Damascus request assistance. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar described the attacks on Kurdish neighbourhoods in Aleppo as “serious and grave.”



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