Deadly Coastal Protests in Syria After Homs Mosque Bombing — What Happened and What Comes Next?

Protests and violent clashes have erupted across Syria’s Mediterranean coast after a deadly bombing at an Alawite mosque in Homs. The unrest highlights deep sectarian anxieties and tests the authority of the interim government more than a year after the fall of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December 2024.

What Sparked the Protests

The immediate trigger was an explosion during Friday prayers at the Imam Ali bin Abi Talib Mosque in the Wadi al-Dahab neighbourhood of Homs that reportedly killed at least eight people. A little-known militant group calling itself Saraya Ansar al-Sunna claimed responsibility on Telegram, saying the attack targeted members of the Alawite community. The group had earlier claimed responsibility for a June suicide bombing at a Damascus church that killed at least 20 people.

Events On The Coast

On Sunday, demonstrators confronted security forces at Latakia’s al-Azhari roundabout where gunfire was reported. In Banias (Tartous governorate), unknown assailants threw a hand grenade at the al-Anaza police station, wounding security personnel. State media SANA cited health officials saying four people were killed and more than 100 injured in the Latakia unrest; later the Interior Ministry reported one security officer killed amid the clashes.

Who Is Protesting—and What They Want

Many demonstrators are from the Alawite community—the minority sect to which the deposed president belonged. Mobilisation at the coast followed calls from Alawite religious figure Ghazal Ghazal, who leads the self-styled Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and Abroad. In a video message he urged supporters to demand protections and called for political federalism, saying communities should "determine our own destiny." Protesters have asked for stronger security guarantees, accountability for attacks, and political safeguards for minority groups.

Wider Context And Risks

Alawites make up roughly 10% of Syria’s estimated 23 million people and were heavily represented in the former regime’s military and security services. Since December 2024, sections of the coast have seen repeated sectarian violence: a March wave of unrest across Latakia, Banias, Tartous and Jableh led a government committee to report about 1,400 deaths during several days of violence. Other flashpoints this year included clashes in Suwayda involving Druze and Bedouin communities, complicated by local grievances and regional intervention.

Official Response: The Ministry of Defence said army units moved into affected city centres to restore stability after assaults by what it described as "outlaw groups." Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa has urged preservation of national unity and domestic peace.

What Analysts Say

Rob Geist Pinfold, an international security scholar at King’s College London, says mistrust between minority groups and the central government is driving demands for decentralisation. The interim government has not fully integrated the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) despite a March 10 agreement, and mistrust remains a major barrier to a stable settlement.

Pinfold outlines two possible trajectories: a negotiated path that includes tentative integration of armed and regional actors (which could ease tensions), or continued violence that deepens sectarian and ethnic divides—risking a destabilising slide comparable to other regional sectarian collapses.

What To Watch Next

• Whether authorities and influential local leaders can de-escalate protests and provide credible security guarantees.
• Any steps toward integrating the SDF and other regional armed groups into a political roadmap.
• Further claims or attacks by militant groups like Saraya Ansar al-Sunna and reprisals that could widen sectarian tensions.

The coming days will be crucial: a negotiated political response could reduce tensions, but continued violence risks a broader sectarian rupture in a country still healing from 14 years of conflict.