Armed men had come into the family home and taken her father and two uncles, Zahlout’s three brothers, aged 52, 55, and 57, from the house.
In what appears to be some of the worst violence seen in Syria since the darkest days of the civil war, around 1,000 people were killed in 30 “massacres” targeting the Alawite religious minority on the country’s west coast on Friday and Saturday, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).
The family of Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian dictator toppled in December, belongs to the Alawite sect, many of whom are concentrated in Syria’s coastal regions, especially in Latakia and Tartus provinces.
Government forces subsequently launched a crackdown on pro-Assad militants, but it appears to have spiralled into revenge killings, including the execution of dozens of men in Syria’s Alawite heartlands.
Security forces loyal to the interim Syrian government in Syria’s western city of Latakia on 9 March 2025 (Photo: Omar Haj Kadour / AFP)Zahlout, who has been in the UK since 2018 and is now based in the north of England, told The i Paper that after receiving his niece’s message he was in shock for 20 minutes, unable to do or feel anything. He asked for permission to leave work and went home to try and find out more details about what had happened.
“I found out that there were 50 killed in my village – all men except for two women,” Zahlout, 45, a married father of three daughters, said.
Syria’s interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa has launched an investigation after the killing of Alawite civilians triggered an international backlash (Photo: Syrian Presidency / AFP)By Saturday morning, it had been confirmed – his brothers had been killed.
Zahlout’s family in Syria – his mother, sister-in-laws, nieces, and nephews – pulled the bodies inside the house on Saturday.
The government said it had responded to the initial attacks from Assad’s forces and blamed “individual actions” for the violence. The interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, yesterday called for national unity and announced the creation of a committee to investigate and identify those responsible for the violence.
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One resident of the town of Qadmous in Tartus told Reuters that people in the town and surrounding villages had fled to nearby fields to protect themselves.
“We don’t know how many people are killed yet because they haven’t gone home and don’t plan to for the next few days,” he said, speaking anonymously for fear of reprisals.
“They are being killed, and the government is just saying they aren’t sure of what is going on – that they would send someone,” he said. “It was 24 hours of gangs killing innocent people, with no resistance.”
Trying to help his family from the UK, Zahlout feels he has “no power”.
“I have no influence,” he said. “I’ve been in shock until now. I feel very angry. Sometimes, I just feel I need to cry and hug my daughter.”
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