"Members of the Alawite community staged a large demonstration in the coastal city of Tartus on Sunday, responding to a call by spiritual leader, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, to protest following the deadly bombing of the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs on Friday. Footage shows protesters gathering in al-Azhari Square in central Tartus, while others marched along the nearby al-Saadi Street. Demonstrators were seen holding banners reading 'We want a political federation, not a civil war' and chanting slogans including 'The people want the prisons emptied'. Sultana Fawaz, a social media influencer who took part in the protest, said the demonstrations were aimed at preventing further bloodshed. “Those who are killing are the ones causing the country's disintegration and division, not the people who went out to demonstrate with their fellow citizens to stop the killing. This supports peace in Syria,” she said. The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reported that dozens of protesters were injured, some seriously, adding that they were transferred to the hospital for treatment. Syria’s state news agency SANA said three people were killed and 60 were injured in Latakia as a result of what it described as attacks by "remnants of the former regime" on security forces and civilians. In a recorded statement earlier, Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal said the demonstrations were centred on demands for political federalism, stressing that the Alawite community rejects the prospect of civil war. The protests followed the bombing of the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in Homs, a neighbourhood predominantly inhabited by Alawites, which killed eight people and wounded dozens more. In December 2024, Syria’s interim authorities took power in Damascus, with Ahmad al-Sharaa later appointed interim president after pledging to form an 'inclusive government'. However, media reports have documented violations against civilians from Druze, Alawite, Christian and other minority communities. These developments have fuelled rising tensions, including calls for secession in Suwaida governorate. Meanwhile, the US-backed Syrian Democratic Forces have yet to be integrated into the newly formed Syrian army as of the time of publication."