Syrian security forces have killed several gunmen in a campaign against “terrorist cells” in the coastal Alawite heartland, the Interior Ministry said, as pro-government militias evicted hundreds of Alawites from their homes in Damascus.
The latest moves in the governorate of Tartus and in the Somariyyeh suburb of the capital are raising pressure on the country’s minorities.
The Interior Ministry said army and special police units killed several “terrorists” on Saturday in a security campaign against their networks in rural Tartus. A statement said one of these cells was responsible for the killing of two security personnel in Tartus last month.
“Several members of the cell were neutralised, the rest were arrested,” said Col Abdel Aal Mohammed Abdel Aal, head of Internal Security in Tartus.
At least 1,300 Alawites, mostly civilians, were killed in a government campaign to take control of the coast in March. But abductions and random killings of members of the sect, especially in drive-by shootings in coastal and central Syria, have continued.
In June, hundreds of people were killed in a campaign to subdue the mostly Druze southern province of Sweida, near Syria's border with Jordan. Israeli intervention prevented a complete takeover of the area by the army and tribal militias.
Alawite personnel underpinned the former Assad regime, which ruled majority-Sunni Syria from 1970 to 2024. The Alawites formed the core of the national security apparatus and held key managerial positions in government, as well as overseeing smuggling, which became the mainstay of the economy.
Thousands of Alawite households moved from the countryside to Damascus and other major cities. Many lived in makeshift residences where construction went ahead without building permits or official property papers, a situation that then became pervasive throughout Syria, regardless of religion or ethnicity.
The removal of the dictator Bashar Al Assad in December by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham (HTS), a group formerly affiliated with Al Qaeda, placed Sunnis in the political ascendancy. Alawite officers and senior officials fled urban centres to their home regions on the coast or in the countryside of Homs and Hama. Other Alawites, who held junior positions in the government or had their own small businesses, remained in their homes.
However, hundreds of Alawite families in the neighbourhood of Somariyyeh, just west of Damascus, were last month ordered by local authorities to leave their homes. By the end of the weekend most had done so, sources in the community said.
The order was enforced by militias from the adjacent Sunni district of Modamyeh, whose residents say Somariyyeh belonged to them and was taken away when the elite Fourth Division set up a base in the area. The unit was controlled by Maher Al Assad, the brother of Bashar Al Assad. Both men are now in exile in Russia.
Mohammad Al Zuaiter, a prominent Alawite civil figure, said Somariyyeh families left for the coast or for areas in Syria's interior, such as Mesyaf. Videos on social media showed the almost deserted neighbourhood, its tin-roofed houses vacant and ramshackle shops shuttered. Much of the economy of Somariyyeh revolved around selling smuggled products from Lebanon – the source of many goods in Syria during the Al Assad era.
“The pro-government militias flexed their muscles against what is essentially misery belt,” said Mr Al Zuaiter, who was a political prisoner in the notorious Palmyra prison during the rule of Hafez Al Assad, Bashar's father.
Thousands of Alawites are crammed into illegally built areas in what became the neighbourhoods of Ush Al Warar, Mazzeh 68, Masaken Barzeh and Jabal al Ward, all of which are within the Damascus metropolis.
MATCH INFO
Aston Villa 1 (Konsa 63')
Sheffield United 0
Red card: Jon Egan (Sheffield United)
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
Farasan Boat: 128km Away from Anchorage
Director: Mowaffaq Alobaid
Stars: Abdulaziz Almadhi, Mohammed Al Akkasi, Ali Al Suhaibani
Rating: 4/5
Zimbabwe v UAE, ODI series
All matches at the Harare Sports Club:
1st ODI, Wednesday, April 10
2nd ODI, Friday, April 12
3rd ODI, Sunday, April 14
4th ODI, Tuesday, April 16
UAE squad: Mohammed Naveed (captain), Rohan Mustafa, Ashfaq Ahmed, Shaiman Anwar, Mohammed Usman, CP Rizwan, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Ghulam Shabber, Sultan Ahmed, Imran Haider, Amir Hayat, Zahoor Khan, Qadeer Ahmed
Teaching your child to save
Pre-school (three - five years)
You can’t yet talk about investing or borrowing, but introduce a “classic” money bank and start putting gifts and allowances away. When the child wants a specific toy, have them save for it and help them track their progress.
Early childhood (six - eight years)
Replace the money bank with three jars labelled ‘saving’, ‘spending’ and ‘sharing’. Have the child divide their allowance into the three jars each week and explain their choices in splitting their pocket money. A guide could be 25 per cent saving, 50 per cent spending, 25 per cent for charity and gift-giving.
Middle childhood (nine - 11 years)
Open a bank savings account and help your child establish a budget and set a savings goal. Introduce the notion of ‘paying yourself first’ by putting away savings as soon as your allowance is paid.
Young teens (12 - 14 years)
Change your child’s allowance from weekly to monthly and help them pinpoint long-range goals such as a trip, so they can start longer-term saving and find new ways to increase their saving.
Teenage (15 - 18 years)
Discuss mutual expectations about university costs and identify what they can help fund and set goals. Don’t pay for everything, so they can experience the pride of contributing.
Young adulthood (19 - 22 years)
Discuss post-graduation plans and future life goals, quantify expenses such as first apartment, work wardrobe, holidays and help them continue to save towards these goals.
* JP Morgan Private Bank
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
GIANT REVIEW
Starring: Amir El-Masry, Pierce Brosnan
Director: Athale
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Price, base / as tested Dh1,470,000 (est)
Engine 6.9-litre twin-turbo W12
Gearbox eight-speed automatic
Power 626bhp @ 6,000rpm
Torque: 900Nm @ 1,350rpm
Fuel economy, combined 14.0L / 100km
Tamkeen's offering
- Option 1: 70% in year 1, 50% in year 2, 30% in year 3
- Option 2: 50% across three years
- Option 3: 30% across five years
More coverage from the Future Forum
Skoda Superb Specs
Engine: 2-litre TSI petrol
Power: 190hp
Torque: 320Nm
Price: From Dh147,000
Available: Now
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Sam Smith
Where: du Arena, Abu Dhabi
When: Saturday November 24
Rating: 4/5
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BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
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Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
It Was Just an Accident
Director: Jafar Panahi
Stars: Vahid Mobasseri, Mariam Afshari, Ebrahim Azizi, Hadis Pakbaten, Majid Panahi, Mohamad Ali Elyasmehr
Rating: 4/5
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Gothia Cup 2025
4,872 matches
1,942 teams
116 pitches
76 nations
26 UAE teams
15 Lebanese teams
2 Kuwaiti teams
Friday’s fixture
6.15pm: Al Wahda v Hatta
6.15pm: Al Dhafra v Ajman
9pm: Al Wasl v Baniyas
9pm: Fujairah v Sharjah
.
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Nayanthara: Beyond The Fairy Tale
Starring: Nayanthara, Vignesh Shivan, Radhika Sarathkumar, Nagarjuna Akkineni
Director: Amith Krishnan
Rating: 3.5/5
HOW TO WATCH
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Tentative schedule of 2017/18 Ashes series
1st Test November 23-27, The Gabba, Brisbane
2nd Test December 2-6, Adelaide Oval, Adelaide
3rd Test Dcember 14-18, Waca, Perth
4th Test December 26-30, Melbourne Cricket Ground, Melbourne
5th Test January 4-8, Sydney Cricket Ground, Sydney
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
