Clashes in Syrian Western coasts intensified on March 7 as the Syrian army sent large military reinforcements to the coast to repel attacks from remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s forces, Al Sharq Al Awsat reported. 

Syrian security forces are currently engaged in battles against armed groups loyal to former officer Suhail al-Hassan who was once a prominent commander under Assad. Tensions erupted in Beit Ana, the home town of al-Hassan, after security forces attempted to arrest an alleged arms dealer.

Deadly clashes are escalating in Latakia between Syrian Security Forces and pro-Assad militants. This is the deadliest attack since Assad’s ouster on December 8, involving helicopter strikes and heavy artillery. Over 70 people were killed, mostly security forces and pro-Assad militants in the fighting. 

Al Hurra reported that a curfew was imposed until 10 am by the General Security Administration to contain the chaos.

Syria’s Ministry of Defence said later the government forces had achieved rapid field progress and reestablished control over areas that witnessed attacks against security forces in the coastal region, as reported by the state-run SANA news agency. 

SANA reported that Syrian Defence Ministry troops have entered the city of Tartus in support of the General Security Administration’s forces against what it described as the remnants of Assad’s militias.

Syrian Defence Ministry spokesman, Hassan Abdulghani, stated that "top war criminals" are now hiding in the mountains and that "their only fate is the courts, where they will face justice."

Addressing Assad’s remaining loyalists, he warned: "Do not be fuel for a lost war... The choice is clear: Surrender your weapons or face your inevitable fate."

Al-Hassan: The "barrel bombs" Assad fellow

Al-Hassan (nickname Tiger), 55 years old, was born in Jableh and is of Alawite descent. Alawites make up about 10% of Syria’s population and played a significant key role in Assad’s regime. While many Alawites surrendered their weapons after Assad’s fall in December, a significant number have refused to disarm.

In the early years of the Syrian war (2011) he trained special forces and led military operations, particularly in Latakia. In 2013, he was assigned to command the elite Tiger Forces.

Al-Hassan was linked to massacres across Syria and allegedly ordered attacks on civilians using barrel bombs. These are explosives packed with shrapnel and dropped from helicopters.

Known for his "scorched earth" strategy, he used intense air power before ground forces moved in. His brutal tactics were seen in Eastern Ghouta (2018), causing heavy civilian casualties.

Al-Hassan is under EU sanctions. Der Spiegel suggested earlier that Russia might have considered him a potential replacement for Assad. Russian media also showed him appearing as a subordinate to Russian military leadership.

In December last year, Al-Hassan was leading government special forces against opposition fighters in Hama when he was reportedly injured by a drone strike near Jabal Zain al-Abidin.