Syria ends military operations against Assad loyalists after deadly clashes, sectarian violence, and mass killings, amid international calls for peace and inclusivity.

Syria's Defense Ministry announced on Monday the conclusion of military operations against loyalists of ousted President Bashar Assad along the Mediterranean coast. This marks the end of one of the bloodiest conflicts in the country in a decade.

The violence erupted after Assad loyalists ambushed a Syrian security patrol last week, leading to intense clashes and a series of revenge killings targeting members of Assad's Alawite sect.

According to the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), the clashes resulted in the deaths of 973 civilians, including women and children. Among those killed were civilians who were not members of the Alawite sect.

Defense Ministry spokesperson Hassan Abdel-Ghani stated that public institutions were now able to resume operations and provide services.

"We were able to absorb the attacks from the remnants of the former regime and its officers. We shattered their element of surprise and managed to push them away from vital centers, securing most of the main roads," Abdel-Ghani said in remarks carried by the state news agency SANA.

The SOHR reported that a total of 39 massacres had occurred since the outbreak of violence last week in Latakia, a region historically known as the stronghold of the Assad family. The violence later spread to Tartus, Hama, and Homs. The Mediterranean coast has long been regarded as the heartland of the Alawite sect in Syria.

Amid the clashes, widespread revenge operations against the Alawites were reported, with the SOHR describing these acts as "ethnic cleansing." The killings have been accompanied by the burning of homes and the forced displacement of Alawite communities.

Tensions have been escalating since Assad's ouster last December, with sectarian attacks persisting despite assurances from Syria's interim rulers, the Islamist Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), that they would preserve inclusivity and protect minority groups.

During their ambush, Assad loyalist gunmen overpowered government security forces and briefly seized Qardaha, the hometown of the ousted president. The government in Damascus struggled to dispatch reinforcements in response to the assault.

The Alawite sect, an offshoot of Shia Islam, was a key support base for Assad’s government in the predominantly Sunni-majority country. Many of Assad’s opponents viewed his rule as granting privileges to the Alawite community.

Throughout the Syrian civil war, militant groups emerged across the country, often treating Alawites as allies of Assad and his foreign backers, Russia and Iran.

Both the Kremlin and Tehran condemned the violence in Syria on Monday and called for an immediate cessation of hostilities.

Iran's Foreign Ministry also denied any involvement in the conflict. Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi told the French AFP news agency last Friday that Tehran has remained "an observer" since Assad’s overthrow.

China’s Foreign Ministry urged an immediate halt to the fighting, while French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot also denounced the violence, stating that "those responsible must be punished."

Syria’s interim government has pledged to transition to a political system that includes the country’s diverse religious and ethnic groups through fair elections. Interim President Ahmad Al-Sharaa, a former leader of the Sunni HTS, has assured the public of inclusivity, but skepticism remains regarding whether true representation will be achieved.