The foretold and expected massmurder of the Alawite minority has begun.
Horrifying images are emerging from Syria. What had long been feared has now come to pass. The Western-backed and financed jihadist militants, led by their commander Jolani, have begun a campaign of mass murder against the Alawite community, the ethnic group to which former President Bashar al-Assad belongs.
Thousands of Alawites, particularly in the coastal regions of Syria, have been brutalized, tortured, and killed—men, women, and children alike. The jihadists have unleashed a bloodthirsty rampage, leaving devastation in their wake.
The violence appears to have begun in the morning with an ambush on an HTS (Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham) convoy, in which a dozen or more jihadist fighters were killed. The attack was carried out by coastal militias composed of remnants of the Syrian army. In response, Turkey swiftly deployed columns of armored troop carriers in an attempt to stabilize the situation. However, this was followed by the start of a brutal ethnic cleansing campaign.
Thousands of Alawites, fleeing the violence, besieged the Hmeimim airbase, which is used by Russian forces. They were eventually allowed inside to seek refuge.
This wave of mass murder was tragically predictable. Bashar al-Assad has long been viewed by many as a protector of a modern and tolerant society, as well as a defender of minority groups. The deepening sectarian divide threatens to drown Syria in bloodshed for years to come.
Turkey's role in this massacre is evident. Meanwhile, Israel stands by, watching the chaos unfold while continuing to assert control over increasingly large portions of southern Syria.
