Syria’s President al-Sharaa calls for ‘peace, calm’ amid brutal clashes

Fighting has erupted at Syria’s Banias gas power plant, just hours after the country’s interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa urged for peace amid escalating communal violence that has killed hundreds of civilians in the coastal areas.

Syria’s state-run news agency SANA reported on Sunday that fighting broke out with security forces at the plant after an attack by “remnants of the former regime”.Earlier on Sunday, al-Sharaa stated the need to “preserve national unity and domestic peace; we can live together” as newly appointed forces clash with fighters loyal to removed President Bashar al-Assad.

The fighting began after the pro-Assad fighters coordinated attacks on security forces on Thursday. The attacks spiralled into revenge killings as thousands of armed supporters of Syria’s new leadership went to the coastal areas to support the security forces.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based war monitor, at least 745 Alawite civilians have been killed in Latakia and Tartous since Thursday, as well as about 125 members of the government’s security forces.In addition, 148 pro-Assad fighters were killed, the Observatory added, taking the overall death toll to 1,018.

Al Jazeera has been unable to independently verify those figures.

UN rights chief Volker Turk has called for an immediate halt to the violence in Syria.

“There must be prompt, transparent and impartial investigations into all the killings and other violations, and those responsible must be held to account, in line with international law norms and standards. Groups terrorising civilians must also be held accountable,” Turk said.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio said in a statement on Sunday that “Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria’s minority communities accountable”.

Al-Sharaa has said anyone targeting civilians would be held accountable.

Later on Sunday, SANA reported, quoting a source in the Ministry of Defence, that “intense clashes in the vicinity of the village of Betannita in the countryside of Tartous” were taking place.

“Many war criminals affiliated with the al-Assad regime and groups of armed remnants fled to the village,” the report added.

Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, spokesperson for the ministry, said that “the second phase of the military operation aimed at pursuing the remnants and officers of the defunct regime has begun in the countryside of Latakia and Tartous, after restoring security and stability in the main coastal cities”.