Cars and shops were vandalised during attacks on Alawite neighbourhoods in the western city in recent days.

Syrian authorities imposed an overnight curfew in the coastal city of Latakia following deadly attacks on predominantly Alawite neighbourhoods as security tensions rise in the country’s western coastal region.

Authorities in Latakia arrested 21 people allegedly linked to ousted leader Bashar al-Assad’s rule, state media reported on Tuesday.

Security forces in the coastal province arrested 21 “former regime remnants who are involved in criminal acts, sectarian incitement and targeting internal security forces”.

The curfew took effect from 5pm local time (14:00 GMT) on Tuesday until 6am (03:00 GMT) on Wednesday, the Ministry of Interior said.

The move comes after unidentified individuals attacked Alawite-majority neighbourhoods in Latakia on Monday, damaging cars and vandalising shops.

The violence follows deadly protests by members of the Alawite minority a day earlier. Demonstrations erupted after a bombing in the central city of Homs, with at least three people killed as Syrian security personnel attempted to disperse the crowds.

One of those killed was a member of Syria’s security forces.

The unrest marks another challenge for President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government, which has sought to stabilise the country and rebuild international ties after 14 years of civil war.

Syria’s new president came to power following the overthrow of longtime ruler Bashar al-Assad in December 2024, after a coalition of opposition forces seized control of Damascus, bringing an end to more than 50 years of al-Assad family rule.

Security and stability

His government has since faced the task of restoring security and asserting authority across a fractured country.

Syrian government troops have been deployed to the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartous, the Ministry of Defence announced on Sunday.

On Monday, authorities said security forces “reinforced their deployment in a number of neighbourhoods” in Latakia to “monitor the situation on the ground, enhance security and stability, and ensure the safety of citizens and property”.

Latakia, located in Syria’s coastal heartland, is home to a mix of communities, including Alawite and Sunni-majority neighbourhoods.

Alawite communities – who dominated the upper ranks of the state and security apparatus under the al-Assad government – have increasingly been targeted since the previous government’s fall in December 2024.

Hundreds of Alawite were killed in coastal areas in March, one of the deadliest episodes of violence since the civil war’s end. Despite repeated assurances from Damascus that all of Syria’s communities will be protected, some minority groups say their future remains uncertain.