Alawites constitute Syria’s largest minority and account for about 10 per cent of the population. The Assad connection has made Alawites the main target of anti-Assad militias since HTS seized control of Syria three months ago.

Armed Sunni groups, considered loyal to the new regime after Assad’s removal, have begun retaliatory killings against Alawites, deepening Syria’s sectarian divide. This challenges the power of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), which played a significant role in removing Assad from power.

More than 1,300 dead in a few days - US condemns "Islamist terrorists & foreign jihadists who murder civilians" - Turkey supports the jihadists - Washington & Moscow call for a Security Council meetin

While Alawites are generally considered an offshoot of Shia Islam, their beliefs and practices are far more complex

Ali Koshmr, a 36-year-old man from Syria's Latakia, around 330 km from Damascus, woke up to the sounds of gunfire, tires screeching and dozens of armed men shouting, "Come out, you Alawite pigs, Nusayris!

Alawites, a Shia sect, ruled Syria for decades under the Assads. Now, after Bashar al-Assad's fall, they face violence as sectarian tensions escalate in the war-torn country

Local television reports that the country's president has ordered the creation of an independent commission to investigate what happened, and the inquiry will be known within a maximum period of 30 days.