Three dead, sixty injured in Syria's Lattakia attacks by former regime backers

Three people were killed and 60 others injured after remnants of the ousted regime attacked both security forces and civilians during protests in Lattakia, Syria, on December 28.

According to the Directorate of Health, injuries included stabbings, blows from stones, and gunfire targeting security personnel and civilians alike, Caliber.Az reports, citing SANA.

Two ambulances were also vandalised during the unrest, though medical teams continued to provide emergency assistance.

SANA correspondents reported that security forces were stationed at key locations, including al-Azhari and al-Zira’a roundabouts in Lattakia, as well as in Jableh, to ensure the safety of demonstrators and maintain public order.

Colonel Abdulaziz al-Ahmad, head of internal security in Lattakia, stated that participants in protests organised by Ghazal Ghazal, linked to remnants of the ousted regime, attacked internal security personnel, injuring several and damaging official vehicles.

Al-Ahmad added that armed, masked individuals affiliated with “Saraya Deraa al-Sahel” and “Saraya al-Jawad”—groups known for targeted killings and planting explosives along the M1 highway—were present during the demonstrations.

At al-Azhari Roundabout, masked gunmen reportedly fired shots into the air, while security forces contained the situation and restored order. Forces remain deployed across major streets and squares to protect civilians and public property.

Since the fall of the ousted regime, loyalist groups have consistently rejected the current political and institutional order, attempting to incite violence under divisive slogans and using civilian protests as a cover to attack security personnel and damage property.

By Jeyhun Aghazada