Syrian President: We will not tolerate the remnants of the regime and we will hold accountable anyone involved in the blood of civilians

Syrian President Ahmad al-Sharaa said that his government will not tolerate remnants of the former regime, pledging to hold accountable anyone whose hands were stained with the blood of civilians or who exploited power to achieve personal interests. He also stressed that justice will include everyone without exception.

This came in a televised speech, his second comment on the events witnessed by the Syrian coast in recent days, after security tensions witnessed in the region against the backdrop of an attack by remnants of the regime of ousted President Bashar al-Assad.

Al-Sharaa pointed out that the recent events are not isolated, but rather an extension of previous practices left behind by the fallen regime, stressing that these violations came as a result of a legacy of violations, including torture, rape, the use of chemical weapons, and forced displacement, in addition to targeting civilians and demolishing their homes over their heads.

He explained that the state moved from the first moment to control the situation and enhance security in the tense areas, to prevent the outbreak of acts of revenge or sectarian tensions, but the security forces were exposed to attacks that resulted in the killing of a number of their members, adding that the perpetrators are the same ones who committed crimes against the Syrian people over the course of 14 years.

The Syrian President added that these attacks led to the destabilization of civil peace and the occurrence of limited violations, calling on citizens to remain united and not to be drawn into attempts to incite sedition.

He also stressed that his government will not tolerate those behind this chaos, noting that the only option available to those involved is to surrender themselves to the law immediately.

Al-Sharaa stressed that anyone who harmed civilians or exceeded the state’s powers would face accountability without exception, stressing that no one would be above the law, and that the government was determined to pursue those involved in shedding the blood of Syrians, adding that Syria would not allow any external or internal attempts to spread discord and undermine the country’s unity.

At the end of his speech, Al-Shara called on the countries of the region and the international community to stand by Syria and respect its sovereignty, stressing that his country will not slide into chaos or civil war, and will remain steadfast thanks to the will of its people and the strength of its army.

Fact-finding committee

President al-Shara had issued a presidential decree to form an independent national committee to investigate the events on the Syrian coast. The Syrian presidency explained - on its account on the "X" platform - that the tasks of the committee, consisting of 7 people, include revealing the causes, circumstances and conditions that led to the occurrence of those events, investigating the violations that civilians were subjected to and identifying those responsible for them.

The committee will also investigate attacks on public institutions, security personnel and the army and identify those responsible. The committee will submit its report to the presidency within a maximum period of 30 days from the date of issuance of the decision.

Earlier today, Al-Sharaa called - in a speech he gave in a mosque in Damascus - to preserve national unity and civil peace in the country, stressing that Syrians are able to live together in a state that enjoys the elements of survival, pride and dignity.

During the last three days, Latakia and Tartous have witnessed security tensions due to coordinated attacks by remnants of Bashar al-Assad’s regime - the most violent since his fall - against security patrols, checkpoints and hospitals, resulting in deaths and injuries.

mass grave

A security source told Al Jazeera that a mass grave of members of the Syrian Ministry of Defense was found in one of the valleys of Qardaha in the Latakia countryside.

The source added that a number of bodies were recovered, while work is underway to extract others who were liquidated by remnants of the ousted regime, according to the source's confirmation.

He pointed out that the cemetery is believed to be one of several cemeteries being searched for.

This comes after a security source confirmed to Al Jazeera that more than 230 government forces were killed and dozens were missing in the coastal operations.

SANA published photos it said showed a convoy of public security forces setting off from Idlib province to the Syrian coast to pursue remnants of the ousted regime and establish security and stability in the region.

Meanwhile, the spokesman for the Syrian Ministry of Defense, Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, announced the start of the second phase of pursuing the remnants of the ousted regime in the countryside and mountains of the coastal region after restoring security in the coastal cities.

Source: Agencies