by Stefan Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent
DAMASCUS/JERUSALEM (Worthy News) — Alawite leaders in Syria appealed to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to “save them” from the “brutal” Islamic “regime” after more than 1,000 people, including Alawites and Christians, were reportedly killed in recent days.
What began as clashes between armed groups loyal to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and forces loyal to the new Syrian rulers quickly spiraled into communal killings, Worthy News learned.
Among those targeted are Alawites and Christians who have been accused of having been loyal to Assad. Additionally, Christians have also been singled out for their faith, according to rights activists.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a Britain-based war monitor, said Sunday that 745 civilians were primarily killed execution-style, while 125 Syrian security forces and 148 Assad loyalists were killed.
Death tolls from the two days of fighting have varied wildly, with some estimates putting the final death toll even higher.
“Save us from the brutal regime; we will welcome you with songs and flowers,” Alawite leaders wrote in a letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu seen by Worthy News.
EMOTIONAL VIDEO
It came after an emotional young man in video footage seen and cited by Worthy News over the weekend pleaded for help, fearing his mother and sisters would be abducted and killed in the Latakia area. “The terrorists are killing everyone: children, women, teenagers, old people. There are more than 100 bodies now in my village and even in the city,” he said, wiping away tears.
“They are just taking the children. I don’t know what to do with my mom and my two sisters. Please, please, please. You got to help us. Nobody is talking anything about it.”
His words were reflected in the letter, which was also sent to other Israeli officials, including Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, through contacts in the region and intermediaries, in addition to Netanyahu.
The Alawites have accused forces loyal to President Ahmad al-Sharaa of carrying out massacres against those deemed to have had ties to the “previous regime of Bashar al-Assad,” who was overthrown in December last year.
On Sunday, Israel announced that it will not allow “the new Syrian regime to harm the Druze population in the country.”
The Alawite minority in Syria was loyal to former president Bashar al-Assad before he was overthrown by the Syrian Islamists under new Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani. Christians are also in the crossfire, with reports that many have been killed and forced to flee their homes.
‘ASSAD REGIME’
“Following the fall of Assad’s regime, and after the massacres that took place in Alawite areas against our people, we call on the Israeli government to provide protection, assistance, and support,” the Alawite leaders wrote.
However, “the world is silent about the massacres happening in Syria,” while only “the voice of the State of Israel” is heard, the stressed.
The Alawite community leaders said, “We reach out to you and will be your most loyal and good friends. We are a minority like you in the Middle East. Help us, and if you reach the Syrian coast, which is mostly Alawite, you will be received with songs and flowers.”
The Alawite letter urged the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) to deploy its forces, including the Israel Air Force, to protect the community.
Alawite leaders also proposed that Israel send warships toward the coast of Syria and that the Israeli Foreign Ministry raise to the international level “the crimes committed against the Druze.”
Israeli media should “shed light” on the massacre happening in Syria, the letter said. The Alawite leaders also urged unity “against the Islamic arrogance led by Turkey, help us to separate from this extremist country.”
They referred to Turkey’s ties to the current Syrian leadership. Turkey said it is ready to provide military assistance to Syria’s new Islamist-led government set up by rebels who overthrew Assad.
Ankara also has tense ties with Israel after the Jewish nation launched a war against Hamas following the group’s October 7, 2023, massacre of some 1,200 people in Israel and the abduction of hundreds of others.
Copyright 1999-2026 Worthy News. This article was originally published on Worthy News and was reproduced with permission.
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