Syria's new rulers warn against incitement as tensions brew

STORY: Syria's new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in Tartous, where 14 policemen were killed, according to state media. The report said authorities have vowed to pursue "remnants" of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad's militias accused of the attack.Tartous is home to many members of Assad's Alawite sect. The attack on the police has marked the deadliest challenge yet to the Sunni Islamist-led authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which swept Assad from power on Dec. 8.Reflecting tensions with a sectarian edge, protests also erupted in several cities on Wednesday, seen in video verified by Reuters, after an undated video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine in Aleppo emerged on social media.Members of the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, wielded huge sway during decades of Assad's iron fisted rule.Residents in Al Woroud, a predominantly Alawite and impoverished neighborhood northwest of Damascus, expressed concern following the security crackdown.Community leader Ali Dareer told Reuters the new authorities' recent behavior doesn't reflect its repeated promises to protect minority religious groups.He cited multiple accounts of people being beaten at a checkpoint.But he blamed a "third party" of trying to incite discord.He urged his people to remain committed to peace, and "work to overcome this transitional phase".Dissent has also surfaced in the city of Homs, north of Damascus. Footage posted on social media on Wednesday from Homs showed a crowd of people scattering as gunfire was heard. Reuters has verified the location. It was not clear who was opening fire.State media reported police imposed an overnight curfew on Wednesday night.The Syrian information ministry declared a ban on what it described as "the circulation or publication of any media content or news with a sectarian tone aimed at spreading division."Assad's long-time Shi'ite regional ally, Iran, on Thursday rejected accusations that Tehran was interfering in Syria.It follows a warning by the new Syrian foreign minister for the Islamic Republic not to spread chaos in his country.

STORY: Syria's new authorities on Thursday launched a security crackdown in Tartous, where 14 policemen were killed, according to state media. The report said authorities have vowed to pursue "remnants" of the ousted president Bashar al-Assad's militias accused of the attack. Tartous is home to many members of Assad's Alawite sect.

The attack on the police has marked the deadliest challenge yet to the Sunni Islamist-led authorities led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, or HTS, which swept Assad from power on Dec. 8. Reflecting tensions with a sectarian edge, protests also erupted in several cities on Wednesday, seen in video verified by Reuters, after an undated video showing the burning of an Alawite shrine in Aleppo emerged on social media.

Members of the Alawite minority, an offshoot of Shi'ite Islam, wielded huge sway during decades of Assad's iron fisted rule. Residents in Al Woroud, a predominantly Alawite and impoverished neighborhood northwest of Damascus, expressed concern following the security crackdown. Community leader Ali Dareer told Reuters the new authorities' recent behavior doesn't reflect its repeated promises to protect minority religious groups.

He cited multiple accounts of people being beaten at a checkpoint. But he blamed a "third party" of trying to incite discord. He urged his people to remain committed to peace, and "work to overcome this transitional phase".

Dissent has also surfaced in the city of Homs, north of Damascus. Footage posted on social media on Wednesday from Homs showed a crowd of people scattering as gunfire was heard. Reuters has verified the location.

It was not clear who was opening fire. State media reported police imposed an overnight curfew on Wednesday night. The Syrian information ministry declared a ban on what it described as "the circulation or publication of any media content or news with a sectarian tone aimed at spreading division.

" Assad's long-time Shi'ite regional ally, Iran, on Thursday rejected accusations that Tehran was interfering in Syria. It follows a warning by the new Syrian foreign minister for the Islamic Republic not to spread chaos in his country..