The ambush was reportedly carried out by former elements of the Syrian Arab Army, coming during an eruption of sectarian tensions across Syria.
Clashes raged in Syria on 26 December between the remnants of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and the currently-ruling Hayat Tahrir-Sham (HTS) extremist group several hours after over a dozen HTS militants were killed in the western Tartous governorate.
🇸🇾 Intense clashes rage into their second day in Tartus, Syria, between Syrian Arab Army resistance cells and forces loyal to the new government.
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) December 26, 2024
Footage captured by a local woman from her home offers a close-up view of the chaos, showing militants exchanging fire directly below… pic.twitter.com/jtsokMHdqO
Violent armed clashes were recorded by citizens in Tartous on Thursday. Video footage also showed positions of the SAA’s 25th Division stationed in the Latakia mountains in western Syria.
🇸🇾 SAA Refuses to Surrender to HTS
— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) December 26, 2024
A newly released video from the 25th Special Forces Division, also known as the “Tiger Forces,” shows resistance fighters in the mountainous areas of Latakia. In the video, they pledge to continue their fight against Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS)… pic.twitter.com/lJ0EdsjnXo
HTS-led authorities announced on Thursday that they confiscated weapons belonging to former government soldiers in the Damascus countryside. HTS’s Military Operations Administration has launched a security operation to confiscate SAA weapons and arrest “those who incite” sedition, according to a source from Syria’s new Ministry of Interior cited by Al-Watan newspaper.