ERBIL, Kurdistan Region of Iraq - A war monitor on Saturday reported that members of Syrian security forces had killed over 160 civilians in “horrifying massacres,” amid violent escalations with loyalists of the ousted regime.

Bloody clashes erupted after loyalists of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad attacked security forces in the country’s western coastal region on Thursday, prompting a violent response from the new Damascus authorities.

At least 120 insurgents and 93 members of security forces were killed in two days of fighting, according to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR).

In reaction, members of the Syrian defense ministry and internal security forces carried out “public executions” in several parts of the country, killing at least 162 civilians accused of siding with the insurgents, according to the war monitor.

Syria’s western coastal region is heavily populated by the members of the Alawite minority - an ethnoreligious group closely associated with the Assad family. Hundreds have been killed for their religious affiliations in “acts of retaliation” across Syria since the start of 2025.

SOHR called on The international community to dispatch investigative teams to document the “serious violations against civilians,” and urged the Syrian authorities in Damascus to hold the perpetrators accountable.

Syria’s recently-appointed interim President Ahmad al-Sharaa on Friday delivered a speech amid the rising escalations, describing the loyalists’ attacks as “an unforgivable sin” and calling on them to surrender “before it is too late.”

“We are people who seek the reform of the country you have destroyed, with no desire for anyone’s blood. We fight with honor in our hearts, while you fight without honor,” Sharaa added.

The Syrian defense ministry on Friday warned that anyone who refuses to hand over their weapons to the state will face a “decisive” and “uncompromising” response.

Since Assad's toppling, Syria has seen clashes in regions that were once the deposed president's stronghold, often blamed on Assad supporters. The new Damascus authorities have launched several operations over the past three months, targeting remnants of the previous regime.