Alawites are an Arab ethnic and religious group, with distinct cultures, languages and religious beliefs. They live mainly in the Levant region in West Asia.

While Alawites are generally considered an offshoot of Shia Islam, their beliefs and practices are far more complex

Alawites, a Shia sect, ruled Syria for decades under the Assads. Now, after Bashar al-Assad's fall, they face violence as sectarian tensions escalate in the war-torn country

Local television reports that the country's president has ordered the creation of an independent commission to investigate what happened, and the inquiry will be known within a maximum period of 30 days.

Armed Sunni groups, considered loyal to the new regime after Assad’s removal, have begun retaliatory killings against Alawites, deepening Syria’s sectarian divide. This challenges the power of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a significant role in removing Assad from power.

Ali Koshmr, a 36-year-old man from Syria's Latakia, around 330 km from Damascus, woke up to the sounds of gunfire, tires screeching and dozens of armed men shouting, "Come out, you Alawite pigs, Nusayris!

An ambush on a Syrian security patrol near Latakia by pro-Assad gunmen has ignited days of clashes, leading to over 1,000 deaths and deepening sectari