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Syria’s Christians face renewed persecution as post-Assad violence erupts, leaving over 1,000 dead in brutal sectarian attacks.

Syria’s Christian minority has fallen victim to a spate of weekend violence that has seen more than 1,000 people killed since last Thursday.

In the wake of Bashar al-Assad’s ousting three months ago, clashes between government forces and pro-Assad loyalists have escalated in Syria’s coastal regions. The retaliatory violence from Syria’s new government has particularly targeted Alawites and Christians, with reports of massacres and revenge killings shared widely on social media.

The patriarchs of Syria’s three main Christian churches — the Greek Orthodox, Syriac Orthodox, and Melkite Greek Catholic Churches — have condemned the violence, calling for an immediate end to the “massacres targeting innocent civilians.” In a joint statement, they declared, “These horrific acts stand in stark opposition to all human and moral values.”

Their plea underscores the dire situation facing Syria’s Christian community, which has dwindled from around 1.5 million before the start of the civil war in 2011 to approximately 300,000 today.

The capital city of Syria, Damascus, was the place of the Apostle Paul’s conversion and a centre for the early Christian church.

Syria: A plea for the religious minorities – including Christians – in Latakia:

“Please. You’ve got to help us. . . . Most of the people in my village are dead. . . We are afraid for the little kids. . . . They are killing people randomly. . . .” pic.twitter.com/uNxB8YXAAk

— Christian Emergency Alliance (@ChristianEmerg1) March 8, 2025

What’s Behind the Violence in Syria?

The violence erupted on Thursday when pro-Assad gunmen ambushed government forces in Jableh, a predominantly Alawite coastal area, sparking retaliatory attacks by gunmen linked to the new government.

Clashes quickly spread to Latakia, Baniyas, and other regions, with the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reporting a death toll that includes 745 civilians, 125 government security forces, and 148 pro-Assad militants.

The Observatory has labelled these killings “sectarian massacres,” noting that at least 428 of the civilian deaths were Alawites — the Shiite Muslim group to which Assad belongs.

Local residents have painted a grim picture. Ali Sheha, a 57-year-old from Baniyas, told Reuters, “It was very, very bad. Bodies were on the streets.”

Thousands of people, including Christians and Alawites, have fled their homes, seeking refuge in nearby mountains or at military bases, such as the Russian base in Hmeimim. Essential services have also been disrupted, with electricity and drinking water cut off in some areas.

The ousting of Assad in December, led by a rapid offensive from the Sunni Islamist group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), marked a major shift in Syria’s political landscape. The new interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, is a former HTS leader with ties to Al-Qaeda.

Christians Targeted in Syrian Violence

The Christian patriarchs’ statement reflects deep concern among Syrian believers. Reports of targeted killings of Christians, including a young family and a father and son executed by Islamists, have put the nation’s Christian community on high alert.

Tony Petrus and his son Fadi Petrus, two Antiochian Greeks, were killed today in the pogrom launched by HTS against the mixed Christian and Alawite region. pic.twitter.com/uBLN8CpBwA

— Greco-Levantines World Wide (@GrecoLevantines) March 8, 2025

Marwan Shahada, the mayor of the Syrian Christian village of Mazraa, was also killed.

Marwan Shahada, mayor of the Syrian Christian village of Mazraa in the Homs countryside, was found killed with a machete.

Local sources report that HTS-led forces murdered him. pic.twitter.com/w9pwOv5hA5

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) March 8, 2025

One witness spoke with Fox News about the pervasive sense of insecurity felt by Christians in Syria.

“I feel there is no safety. There is no homeland. There is nowhere to escape to, and no one to defend us,” he said.

Under Assad, Christians enjoyed stronger protections, while the current power vacuum has left them exposed.

The weekend’s events appear to have vindicated Tulsi Gabbard, President Trump’s newly-appointed Director of National Intelligence, who during her Senate confirmation hearing warned about the dangers of a terrorist takeover in Syria. In particular, she cautioned that the new regime would “persecute and kill and arrest religious minorities like Christians in Syria”.

Gabbard criticised US leaders for supporting Islamist extremists, noting that Syria is now controlled by HTS, an al-Qaeda offshoot led by a jihadist who celebrated 9/11 and was responsible for American soldier deaths.

At the time, Gabbard endured a media firestorm for her comments, but in recent days, the new Syrian regime’s massacre of Alawites and Christians have vindicated her warnings.

Tulsi Gabbard was right about Syria:

“I shed no tears for the fall of the Assad regime, but today we have an Islamist extremist who’s now in charge of Syria, who danced on the streets to celebrate the 9/11 attack, who has already begun to persecute, arrest, and kill religious… pic.twitter.com/gJbNddLjNt

— KanekoaTheGreat (@KanekoaTheGreat) March 7, 2025

A Mixed International Response

The international response has been mixed. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the violence, stating, “The United States stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families.”

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk demanded that the killings “cease immediately,” a sentiment echoed by the Arab League, the United Kingdom, and other governments.

The Albanese Government is yet to issue a response to the weekend’s violence.

In a statement that sparked furious public backlash, the European Union singled out for criticism the pro-Assad elements that sparked the clash but were ultimately killed in the hundreds.

The European Union strongly condemns the recent attacks, reportedly by pro-Assad elements, on interim government forces in the coastal areas of Syria and all violence against civilians.

Read more: https://t.co/elYw86lHik pic.twitter.com/y2FfwAC8q4

— European External Action Service – EEAS 🇪🇺 (@eu_eeas) March 8, 2025

“There’s a genocide happening against Christians right now, and these guys come out in support of the ones committing it,” one X user commented. “How can they be this evil?”

Meanwhile, taxpayer-funded ABC News neglected to mention Christians in its report on the violence that has devastated Syria’s Alawite and Christian communities.

A Grim Outlook for Syria’s Christian Minority

The weekend’s violence marks the deadliest period since Assad’s downfall.

For Syria’s Christian minority, already diminished by over a decade of conflict, this latest wave of violence compounds their vulnerability.

Christians now make up just 2.4% of the population of Syria, which is ranked 18th on Open Doors’ World Watch list — a catalogue of the 50 worst nations globally for persecution against Christians.

Open Doors lists dictatorial paranoia and Islamic oppression as the main causes of violence against Christians in Syria, and warns that violence is a persistent threat, with church leaders especially at risk of abduction, along with women and girls from Christian backgrounds.

‘Honour’ killings are also a risk for Syrian Christians, while Christian men encounter widespread discrimination in the workplace, and struggle to secure jobs or gain promotions.

In its profile on Syria, Open Doors suggests the following prayer for the embattled Syrian church:

Lord, we pray for Christians in Syria who have been forced from their communities. Bring them hope and comfort. We remember those who love You but face strong opposition and danger: give them courage and let them know Your care. After so many years of turmoil, we pray that Syria will finally have a fair, stable government, peace and justice. In Jesus’ name, Amen.

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Image courtesy of Pexels.