Syria’s interim authorities deploy helicopters against ‘former regime remnants’ in coastal regions

Damascus, Dec 29 (IANS) Military forces of Syria’s interim administration have begun deploying attack helicopters against what it described as “remnants of the former regime” in the country’s coastal regions, media reported.

The helicopters are taking off from Istamo Airfield in rural Latakia, targeting armed elements still active in the coastal countryside, media channels cited a statement by the administration, which did not elaborate on the number of helicopters in use or the scope of the operation.

The deployment came as part of a series of security initiatives nationwide, aimed at consolidating the new leadership’s authority, Xinhua news agency reported.

On Saturday, Syria’s newly-appointed intelligence chief Anas Khattab pledged in an official statement to restructure the country’s security apparatus “in a manner befitting our people’s sacrifices and long heritage”.

All existing security branches in Syria will be dissolved and reorganised, Khattab said, without outlining a timeline or providing specific details for the overhaul.

Khattab’s announcement came as Syria navigates a sensitive political transition following the downfall of the previous government on December 8.

A military coalition led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham waged a major military operation from northern Syria on November 27. It swept southwards, captured the capital Damascus, and overthrew former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad’s government within 12 days.

The Syrian Information Ministry declared a ban on what it described as “the circulation or publication of any media content or news with a sectarian tone aimed at spreading division” among Syrians.

The Syrian civil war took on sectarian dimensions as Assad drew on Shia militias from across the Middle East, mobilised by his ally Iran, to battle the insurgency dominated by members of the Sunni Muslim majority, many of them Islamist.

Dissent has also surfaced in the city of Homs, 150 km (90 miles) north of Damascus.

State media reported that police imposed an overnight curfew on Wednesday night, following unrest linked to demonstrations that residents said were led by members of the Alawite and Shia religious communities.

Footage posted on social media on Wednesday from Homs showed a crowd of people scattering, and some of them running, as gunfire was heard.

Assad’s long-time Shia regional ally, Iran, has criticised the course of events in Syria in recent days.

On Sunday, Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei called on Syrian youth to “stand with firm determination against those who have orchestrated and brought about this insecurity”.

Khamenei forecast “that a strong and honourable group will also emerge in Syria because today Syrian youth have nothing to lose”, calling the country unsafe.

Syria’s newly appointed Foreign Minister, Asaad Hassan al-Shibani, said in a social media post on Tuesday that Iran must respect the will of the Syrian people and Syria’s sovereignty and security.

“We warn them against spreading chaos in Syria and we hold them accountable for the repercussions of the latest remarks,” he said.

Lebanon said on Thursday it was looking forward to having the best neighbourly relations with Syria, in its first official message to the new administration in Damascus.

Lebanon’s Iran-backed Hezbollah played a major role in propping up Assad during the civil war, before bringing its fighters back to Lebanon over the last year to fight in a bruising war with Israel — a redeployment that weakened Syrian government lines.

–IANS

int/khz