Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has expressed hope for the successful formation of a national unity government in Syria despite the current instability.
"Victory and national unity are two different things. I hope that Syria will establish a national unity government, although the situation there remains dangerous," Lavrov said in an interview with American bloggers Mario Nawfal, Larry Johnson, and Andrew Napolitano.
On February 24–25, a Syrian National Dialogue Conference was held in Damascus, bringing together over 600 delegates from various regions of the country. Representatives of the Kurdish autonomous administration in northeastern Syria and the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) claimed they were not invited and criticized the conference’s outcomes, stating that they would not participate in implementing its decisions. On February 27, Mazloum Abdi announced that the Kurds in northeastern Syria would hold their own national dialogue on the country’s future.
On March 6, clashes erupted in the provinces of Latakia, Tartus, and Homs between security forces loyal to Syria’s new government and supporters of former President Bashar al-Assad. The most intense fighting occurred in the city of Jableh, home to many Alawites, the religious minority to which Assad’s family belongs. The authorities deployed army units and armored vehicles to the region, imposing a curfew in major cities. On March 8, Syria’s transitional government sent additional forces to the coastal areas to restore security and suppress resistance from armed Assad loyalists.
According to the latest reports, since the escalation began in western Syria, 250 pro-Assad fighters have been killed, while security forces aligned with the new government have lost 231 personnel. Civilian casualties have exceeded 900, with most victims belonging to the Alawite community.
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Photo: Russian Foreign Ministry
Based on TASS materials