Who are Syria's Alawites? The sect facing violence after Assad's fall

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

For over 50 years, the Alawite dynasty—an offshoot of Shia Islam—governed Syria, a predominantly Sunni nation. This rule, initiated by Hafez al-Assad (an Alawite) in 1970, abruptly ended in December last year when a rebel coalition advanced towards Damascus, forcing President Bashar al-Assad to flee.   

Since his departure, the future of Syria’s Alawite community remains uncertain. As power shifts under the country’s interim Sunni Islamist government, the civil war has intensified. Revenge killings have claimed over 1,000 lives, including many Alawites and those linked to the former regime, according to media reports.

#SOHR  “No to revenge attacks” | Sit-in takes place in Al-Suwaydaa calling to stop massacres in Syrian northhttps://t.co/tJD0KM9ASS

— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) March 9, 2025

 

This surge in violence is among the deadliest since the Syrian conflict began 14 years ago. 

Who are Alawites?

 

A minority sect within Shia Islam, Alawites comprise about 10-15 per cent of Syria’s population. They primarily reside in the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus. Their faith blends Islamic traditions with elements of Gnosticism and mysticism, distinguishing them from mainstream Sunni and Shiite beliefs.

 

The sect gained political prominence when Hafez al-Assad, an Alawite, seized power in 1970. His family ruled Syria until December 2024.

 

Once feared, Syria’s Alawites now live in fear

 

The Alawite community, historically linked to the Assad regime, has become a prime target in the ongoing civil war. Many opposition groups consider them loyalists, leading to attacks against Alawite communities.

 

Sunni extremist groups, including ISIS and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)—led by Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa—have declared Alawites as heretics, justifying violence against them.

 

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), over 500 Alawites have been killed since fresh clashes erupted last Thursday between interim regime forces and loyalists of the ousted president.

Amid distress calls by civilians | Areas in Tartus and Latakia countryside come under attack by drones and artillery shells#SOHR https://t.co/zCFGUsI8Mp

— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) March 9, 2025

 A 35-year-old Alawite woman described her ordeal to Agence France-Presse (AFP): 

“We turned off the lights and hid. When we were able to flee our neighbourhood of Al-Qusour, we found the roads full of corpses.”

 

A Christian family sheltered them and helped them reach the Lebanon border, where they planned to flee. Another Alawite resident, 67, told AFP that two of his brothers and his nephew were killed by “armed groups” who entered people’s homes. Villages and towns across Syria’s coastal regions have reported systematic killings, according to media reports.

#SOHR  Death toll update | More than 200 combatants kil*led in clashes in Syrian coastal regionhttps://t.co/IPjcb9ImaK

— المرصد السوري لحقوق الإنسان (@syriahr) March 8, 2025

 

What lies ahead for the Alawites?

As Syria’s war continues, the Alawite community faces existential threats. Their survival depends on Syria’s ability to overcome sectarian divisions and rebuild as a stable nation.