Hope and horror: Syrian unity deal sparks joy in Qamishli, despair in Latakia

Celebrations erupted in Syria’s Qamishli following the announcement of a landmark agreement between the central government in Damascus and local Kurdish-led authorities. Revelers filled the streets, dancing and chanting, “One, one, one—the Syrian people are one,” as cars honked in jubilation.

The joyous scenes on Monday night stood in stark contrast to the turmoil in coastal communities, where days of clashes between government forces and armed groups loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad had left devastation. Monitoring groups reported that hundreds of civilians were killed in revenge attacks, primarily targeting members of the Alawite religious minority, to which Assad belongs.

Amid the violence, some families sought refuge at a Russian air base in Latakia province, while thousands fled to neighboring Lebanon, often using irregular border crossings in the north. The U.N. refugee agency said that at least 7,616 people had reached northern Lebanon, where humanitarian organizations were distributing food and blankets.

More from World

Damascus interim government to seek aid at international conference in Brussels Unexploded bomb from Syria's civil war days 'accidentally' blows up, kills 16

Lebanon currently hosts over 755,000 registered Syrian refugees, with hundreds of thousands more believed to be unregistered. Since Assad’s fall, the trend of refugees returning to Syria has gained momentum, with the U.N. reporting that nearly 260,000 Syrian refugees have returned home since November, about half of whom came from Lebanon.

But the outbreak of violence last week has threatened to reverse that flow.

While a tense calm prevailed over most of the Syrian coast Tuesday, families were still wading across a river marking the border between Syria and northern Lebanon’s Akkar province, some carrying children on their backs.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

‘The cries of this widow will echo’: In first public remarks, Erika Kirk warns Charlie’s killers they’ve ‘unleashed a fire’

Trump urges Nato to back sanctions on Russia, calls for 50–100% tariffs on China

Radwan Alo fled his home in the countryside outside Qardaha, the hometown of the Assad family, and crossed the river into Lebanon. Alo said his twin uncles were killed by armed men, who he believes aimed at “a complete extermination of the Alawite sect.” He has been unable to reach his wife and children who stayed behind to find out if they are safe.

The U.N. Human Rights Office has documented the killing of 111 civilians so far, saying in a statement Tuesday, “the process of verification is ongoing, and the actual number of people killed is believed to be significantly higher.” The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, a war monitor, has reported nearly 1,000 civilians killed. The Associated Press has not been able to independently verify the figure.

Syrian authorities have formed a committee tasked with investigating the attacks on civilians and in recent days announced a series of arrests of people who allegedly took part in the massacres.

At a press conference Tuesday, Yasser Al-Farhan, spokesman for the committee, promised that “no one is above the law” and said that the panel will present its findings to the president’s office and the judiciary. He said the committee will set up a witness protection program for those who come forward to report crimes.

Meanwhile, Kurds in northeast Syria were hopeful that the agreement announced Monday, which includes a ceasefire and the merging of the U.S.-backed, Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces into the Syrian army, would end years of fighting between Kurdish forces and Turkish-backed groups in northern Syria and allow displaced people to return home.

While the details of its implementation remain to be worked out, the deal signaled a step toward stabilizing Syria and consolidating control of the country under a single central authority in Damascus.

Malak Ibrahim, a Kurdish man who was displaced to Qamishli from the town of Afrin eight years earlier when Turkish-backed forces seized control of his area, said he is now hopeful that “the injustice will end, so we all can go back to our homes.” The agreement inked Monday promises to protect the rights of the Kurds.

Arab residents of the area also said they hope the deal will bring an end to years of conflict.

“We want to end the bloodshed,” said Majdal Hamza, an Arab from Qamishli countryside: ”We are all brothers in one country.”

With inputs from agencies