"Damaged shops and torched cars were seen in a predominantly Alawite neighbourhood of the Syrian city of Latakia, in footage filmed on Tuesday. Footage shows burnt-out vehicles, shattered windows and shops vandalised. "They smashed up my car and swore at me, even though I tried to stop them. They were just kids, aged between 15 and 17. We had to wait until the security forces arrived at around 2am to move them on. They started fires and caused serious damage to property," said one shop owner. An eyewitness said the assailants were armed with knives and machetes: “They attacked everything in sight, throwing stones at houses and vandalising cars." The incident came on Monday evening, a day after Syrian forces dispersed Alawite protests against attacks on their community. The identities of those involved in the latest attacks were unknown at time of publication. Syrian media later confirmed that the transitional government's internal security forces had been deployed across Latakia to protect citizens and safeguard public and private property. A curfew was announced, from 5pm on Tuesday until 6am on Wednesday. Syria's transitional president Ahmad al-Sharaa pledged to form an inclusive government, after taking control last December. However, the past year has seen attacks on minority groups in Syria, including Alawites and Druze, with pro-government forces blamed. The transitional administration pledged to investigate and hold those responsible accountable. "