Syria imposes curfew in Latakia after sectarian attacks

Violence erupted on Sunday during protests by Alawites over mosque bombing

Syrian troops standing guard in Latakia on Sunday as the Alawite community held mass protests. Reuters

Syrian authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the port city of Latakia on Tuesday after attacks in predominantly Alawite neighbourhoods the previous day.

The Interior Ministry announced the curfew “effective from 5pm on Tuesday, December 30, 2025, until 6am on Wednesday, December 31, 2025".

The curfew does not affect emergency cases, medical personnel or ambulance and fire crews, it said.

Alawite-majority neighbourhoods were targeted on Monday, with attackers damaging cars and vandalising shops.

Interior Ministry spokesman Nour Al Din Al Baba told state news agency Sana on Tuesday that “mistakes of some individuals cannot be generalised, nor should they be used as an excuse to justify other mistakes or transgressions”.

The spokesman stressed that “imitating the destructive behaviour of the remnants of the old regime, or being drawn into mob-like actions that harm public and private property is absolutely unacceptable”.

The attacks came a day after four people were killed during mass protests by the minority community over the bombing of a mosque in a predominantly Alawite neighbourhood in Homs on Friday. Eight people died and 18 others were injured in the attack.

Syrian authorities said on Monday that security deployments in the country’s coastal region were aimed at “restoring calm”, but critics have accused the forces of suppressing anti-government demonstrations.

Latakia governor Mohammad Othman said the situation in the province was “stable” after clashes in several areas were contained and additional patrols deployed to restore calm.

He told state media that “most protests ended without major incidents” but accused “wanted individuals linked to remnants of the former regime and external agendas” of attempting to divert protesters’ demands and attack security personnel.

Latakia, a mixed city in Syria's Alawite coastal heartland, also has several Sunni-majority neighbourhoods.

Since Syria's longtime ruler Bashar Al Assad, himself an Alawite, was ousted in December 2024, the minority group has been the target of attacks.

Hundreds of Alawites were killed in sectarian massacres in the community's coastal heartland in March.

Despite assurances from Damascus that all Syria's communities will be protected, the country's minorities remain wary of their future under the new authorities.