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.

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!

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.

Syria: Clashes between new security forces and Assad loyalists erupted on Thursday in the Alawite heartland, escalating into reported mass killings.

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

Iran's foreign ministry said Monday there was "no justification" for attacks on minorities in Syria, including Alawites, the community to which toppled president Bashar al-Assad, a long-time Tehran ally,