New satellite images obtained by The War Zone show that scores of people are seeking shelter today at Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base from fighting between the new Syrian government and forces loyal to deposed leader Bashar Al-Assad. The members of the Alawite minority began flocking to the Russian stronghold on Syria’s Mediterranean coast after hundreds of people were reportedly executed by Syrian security forces. You can read our latest update on the decaying security situation in western Syria here.
The images, collected by Maxar on Monday, show throngs of people and vehicles gathered at the base near Latakia after some of the worst fighting in Syria since Al Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) brought down the Assad regime in December and installed an Islamist transitional government. The battles have largely pitted HTS’ Sunni forces against the Shia Alawites, a sect to which Assad belongs. The following image shows an overview of the base.
One close-up shows hundreds of vehicles on the road leading to the small commercial terminal at the airport.
Another shows a crowd of people with tarps and temporary shelters on the tarmac shielded by a formation of armored vehicles and trucks parked together to form a protective perimeter.
Nearby and across the two runways, 14 troop tents and people are seen positioned next to an Il-76 transport aircraft. This is the same area where a Syrian Il-76 has been parked since Assad escaped to the base in December. You can read more about this aircraft and its murky flight from Damascus to the air base in this past feature.
According to the Syrian Network for Human Rights (SNHR), a London-based watchdog group, Assad regime loyalists killed 383 people, including 211 civilians and 172 Syrian security forces, while Syrian security forces killed 396 people during the fighting. That figure includes civilians and disarmed fighters. The statistics do not account for the number of Assad regime loyalists killed, The Guardian noted.
The Syrian interior ministry has admitted that some “individual violations” have taken place. This, they say, is the result of people heading toward the villages being attacked.
On Sunday, interim Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said his government would hold accountable anyone involved in the deaths of civilians during the heavy fighting. Sharaa had previously described the violence as “expected challenges.”
U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio condemned the violence.
“The United States stands with Syria’s religious and ethnic minorities, including its Christian, Druze, Alawite, and Kurdish communities, and offers its condolences to the victims and their families,” Rubio stated Sunday on X. “Syria’s interim authorities must hold the perpetrators of these massacres against Syria’s minority communities accountable.”
“Living conditions in the coastal region and its mountains have worsened as food supplies and daily necessities have been cut off for days,” The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), another London-based watchdog organization, reported. “This coincided with the ongoing security operation in the coastal area, which was launched following an attack by Alawite militants on security forces’ checkpoints and the Ministry of Defense on Thursday, March 6.”
Amid the turmoil, “dozens of people who fled their homes to seek refuge” at the base “staged a sit-in protest against the executions and crimes committed by members of the Ministries of Defense and Interior and their allied gunmen, against members of the Alawite sect,” SOHR claimed.
“The protesters chanted against ethnic cleansing and held banners with slogans demanding international protection from the massacres that have left hundreds dead,” SOHR explained. “Those sheltering at the base refused to leave and return to their homes despite local efforts urging them to return with assurances of protection.”
Many of Russia’s forces have been withdrawn from Khmeimim and the naval base in Tartus following the collapse of the Assad government. However, the future of both remains uncertain. Russia prizes access to these two bases, and recent reports suggest that Moscow is still trying to strike a deal to ensure continued access.
Regardless of the outcome of those negotiations, that people have fled to escape violence highlights the precarious nature of post-Assad Syria.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com