Syria has suffered its worst bloodshed since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power, with more than 1,000 people reported killed in violence that has swept the coastal region since Thursday.

Once empowered by the regime, many Alawites now face reprisals from rebel factions and displaced Sunni populations who suffered under Assad's rule.

The phrase "Can a leopard change its spots?" (Jeremiah 13:23) best captures the global skepticism surrounding Ahmed al-Sharaa, Syria’s interim president since Bashar al-Assad’s ouster in December 2024.

At least 973 civilians, including women and children, have been killed in Syria in recent days as forces of the new administration seek to crush loyalists of former President Bashar al-Assad, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).