Syrian authorities condemn the ‘remnants’ of Bashar al-Assad’s regime | Syrian War News

The push comes as new Syrian leader Ahmed al-Sharaa met with Bahraini, Libyan envoys in Damascus.

Syria’s new government is carrying out a campaign to tighten security against what it has described as the “remnants” of former President Bashar al-Assad’s regime, as operations continue in many parts of the country.

Syria’s SANA news agency reported on Saturday that authorities were conducting a “massive sweep operation” near the city of Latakia on Syria’s northwestern coast.

The push – in an area where al-Assad has enjoyed support from the Alawite community – came in response to “reports about [the] the presence of elements connected to the remains of Assad’s forces”, said SANA in a letter posted on social media.

Reporting from the capital Damascus, Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra explained that the new administration said they were not looking after the Alawite community, which al-Assad praised.

Instead, authorities said the security operation was focused on soldiers and officers of the Syrian army aligned with al-Assad and his brother, Maher al-Assad, a powerful former military commander.

“That’s what they say [they’ve] he issued an order for those people to give weapons to the new administration,” reported Ahelbarra, adding that there are campaigns being conducted in Homs, Aleppo and the outskirts of Damascus.

The push comes 14 days after 14 police officers were killed in what authorities said was a “cover-up” by forces loyal to al-Assad in the Tartous region, another area on Syria’s west coast.

The Interior Minister, Mohammed Abdul Rahman, promised on Thursday that he would deal directly with “anyone who dares to undermine the security of Syria or endanger the lives of its citizens”.

Syrian opposition groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) seized control of the country earlier this month after a swift offensive that toppled al-Assad after more than two decades in power.

The political transition continues, as Syria’s new leader Ahmed al-Sharaa – who heads HTS and previously had ties to al-Qaeda – has held talks with a number of Arab and Western officials in recent days.

Several countries have called on al-Sharaa to ensure that religious and ethnic minorities will be protected amid recent conflicts and fears that any unrest could destabilize Syria and the wider region.

“What happens next in Syria will not only have an impact on the Syrians themselves, but may spread abroad,” Al Jazeera’s Ahelbarra said. “That’s why people are worried about what happens next.”

Al-Sharaa, known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, met with the Bahraini delegation in Damascus on Saturday, as well as the top official of the Libyan government, which is recognized by the United Nations.

“We expressed our full support to the Syrian authorities in the success of an important stage of reform,” said Libya’s Minister of Communications and Politics Walid Ellafi told reporters after the meeting.

“We emphasized the importance of communication and cooperation … especially on security and military issues,” Ellafi said, while the two also discussed cooperation “related to energy and trade” and “illegal immigration”.

Meanwhile, Lebanese officials and military guards said Lebanon expelled about 70 Syrian officials and soldiers on Saturday, returning them to Syria after crossing illegally into the country through irregular means.

Many Syrian officials and people close to the al-Assad family fled the country to neighboring Lebanon after al-Assad was overthrown on December 8.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR), a London-based watchdog, said Syrian troops at various levels had been pushed back through the Arida crossing in northern Lebanon.

SOHR and a Lebanese security official told Reuters news agency that the returnees were arrested by the new Syrian authorities after crossing the border.