The issue of Alawites and the March 2025 coastal events has re-emerged in discussions at the US Congress, amid growing American questions over the outcomes of policies toward Damascus.
Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, the highest spiritual authority of the Alawite sect and head of what is known as the “Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the diaspora,” briefed members of the US Congress on March 18 on the humanitarian situation in Syria, focusing on what he described as “serious violations” affecting the Alawite community.
Ghazal spoke of human rights violations, including the killing of entire families, the siege of areas and starvation of residents, as well as the abduction and enslavement of women, the killing of children, and the arrest of young men and the elderly. He argued that these acts carry the hallmarks of ethnic cleansing and collective stigmatization against Alawites to justify targeting them.
He also described the suffering experienced by Alawites, pointing to a climate of fear, persecution, and insecurity under what he termed a “de facto authority,” noting that these conditions have directly affected their daily lives.
Regarding detainees, Ghazal said that thousands remain detained or forcibly disappeared, with no information about their fate.
He described the events of March 7, 2025, as a turning point, noting the existence of documented footage showing violations against unarmed civilians. He criticized what he described as international silence and media neglect, saying the suffering of victims is not reaching global public opinion sufficiently.
He added that those responsible for violations in Latakia and Tartus, as well as in Alawite areas in Homs and Hama, are the same actors who targeted other communities, including Christians, Druze, and Kurds.
Ghazal called on the international community, particularly the US Congress, decision-makers, and “people of conscience,” to assume moral and humanitarian responsibility toward Syrian Alawites in particular and other communities more broadly, urging urgent and concrete steps to stop what he described as a “tragedy.”
On the political front, he called for a comprehensive political solution to the Syrian crisis based on the demands of peaceful protests, which he said had broad popular support but were met with repression, abuse, arrests, and silencing by the authorities.
Ghazal proposed a vision based on building a state of law and institutions through a consensual constitution that guarantees justice and equality, and a decentralized, federal system that ensures fair participation of all Syrian communities and puts the country on a path toward lasting stability.
He also called for the release of thousands of detainees whose fate remains unknown, revealing the fate of forcibly disappeared persons, empowering local communities to protect their areas, and removing what he described as “extremist and terrorist factions” present by force.
Ghazal affirmed his rejection of a religious state, supporting instead a civil or secular state based on pluralism, respect for citizens’ rights, and the separation of religion from politics, stressing that Alawites believe in the values of love, peace, and tolerance, and reject extremism and political Islam.
At the conclusion of his remarks before Congress members, Ghazal said that Alawites extend a hand to all those who support their right to self-determination, seek to lift injustice against them, and back their humanitarian cause.
Previously, on July 25, the Supreme Alawite Islamic Council in Syria and the diaspora rejected the coastal fact-finding committee and its findings, calling for international intervention to pressure the Syrian authorities.
US lawmaker expresses “disappointment”
For his part, the head of the congressional committee within the Syrian-American alliance, Dr. Tarek Kteleh, said on Wednesday in a post on X that he held a meeting in Washington with the chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Brian Mast.
He was accompanied by Alia Natafgi, CEO of the Syrian American Alliance for Peace and Prosperity, and Abdul Akel, the organization’s vice president.
Kteleh said Mast, after asking about the situation in Syria during repeated visits, expressed disappointment over unfulfilled promises, even remarking with a smile, “A believer is not stung from the same hole twice.”
Mast also asked bluntly what the United States had gained from lifting sanctions, and how it had benefited from Syria so far, noting that Kteila did not have a clear answer.
Kteila: Achievements cannot be ignored
Kteila said he responded that there are real achievements that cannot be overlooked, most notably:
Syria is no longer a gateway for Iranian weapons into Lebanon, nor a sphere of influence for Iran as it once was, which represents a significant strategic shift.
In 2018, when President Trump attempted to withdraw from Syria, he faced strong opposition because there was no viable alternative capable of maintaining security and combating terrorism. Today, however, the situation is different, with a local partner in counterterrorism and the integration of the Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) into the Syrian government, fundamentally changing the equation.
Kteila stressed the need to give the Syrian government a genuine opportunity. Despite discussions about lifting sanctions, bank transfers to Syria remain nearly impossible, hindering investment and keeping the economic situation extremely difficult. Therefore, he said, the government cannot be held accountable without being provided the tools necessary to succeed.
He concluded the meeting by emphasizing that support for Syria is primarily support for the Syrian people and US-Syrian relations, not unconditional support for any government.
Meeting between the head of the congressional committee within the Syrian-American alliance, Tarek Kteila, and Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Representative Brian Mast, March 18, 2026 (Kteila’s X account)
What is the “Supreme Alawite Islamic Council”?
In February 2025, a group of Alawites in Syria and the diaspora announced the formation of the “Supreme Alawite Islamic Council.” According to its founding statement, the council consists of two main bodies:
The religious council, led by Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, includes 130 clerics from various Syrian governorates and focuses on religious affairs and protecting the sect’s religious identity.
The executive council includes key offices covering politics and public relations, media, economy and relief, law, coordination, and historical documentation, aiming to develop a comprehensive plan to manage the community’s affairs during the transitional phase.
What are the coastal events?
The background of the issue dates back to March 6, 2025, when security tensions erupted in the countryside of Latakia (western Syria), following movements by elements of the former regime army targeting General Security forces.
Within hours, groups described by government circles as “remnants” took control of areas in the cities of Latakia and Tartus, resulting in casualties among security personnel.
In response, the Ministries of Defense and Interior deployed large military reinforcements to the area, followed by support from pro-government armed factions, as well as armed civilians outside the state framework. The spread of these forces coincided with widespread violations and massacres targeting Alawite civilians, killing hundreds, in a context that carried sectarian dimensions, according to testimonies and human rights reports.
By dawn on March 7, government forces announced they had regained control of the areas where clashes had taken place. However, tensions did not fully subside, as extrajudicial killings continued until March 8, causing significant human and material losses.
Following the end of operations, Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa issued a decision to form a fact-finding committee, in a step the presidency said aimed to uncover the circumstances of what happened and determine responsibility.
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