[PUBLISH.TWITTER]
| Updates from NPA and the Times of Israel at 7:50 a.m. ET: |
Over 300 Alawite civilians killed by Syria security forces, allies since Thursday, monitor says
[IsraelTimes] A Syria war monitor reports that more than 300 Alawite civilians have been killed in recent days by the security forces and their allies, as authorities clash with militants loyal to the former government of Bashar al-Assad.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a UK-based monitor of unclear funding, reports that “311 Alawite civilians were killed in the coastal region… by security forces and allied groups” since the clashes began on Thursday, bringing the overall death toll to 524 people, including 213 security personnel and militants.
Yesterday, Defense Minister Israel Katz hit out at Syria’s Islamist rulers, calling the country’s new president an al-Qaeda terrorist. His comments came after the reports of the executions.
“[Abu Mohammed] al-Julani switched his robe for a suit and presented a moderate face,” Katz said in a statement, using the nom de guerre of interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa. “Now he’s taken off the mask and exposed his true face: A jihadist terrorist of the al-Qaeda school who is committing horrifying acts against a civilian population.”
“Israel will defend itself against any threat from Syria,” Katz added, while vowing the military would continue to occupy a buffer zone along the border and keep working to keep southern Syria demilitarized. 
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