12/06/2025

International Federation of Alawite Organizations condemns violence in Tel Kalakh, Syria

HMOTH, Syria — The International Federation of Alawite Organizations (IFAO) issued a statement condemning the violent acts committed against Alawite civilians in in Tel Kalakh, Hmoth (Homs) Countryside, Syria on the evening of 10 June.

In its statement, the Federation strongly denounced the attacks on Alawite civilians, emphasizing that this crime was not an isolated incident but part of a systematic campaign of sectarian violence, displacement and targeted persecution against various communities in Syria.

The statement accused armed smuggling groups, led by Jassim Tamim al-Masri and Hussein al-Nuaimi, of attacking Alawite civilians while simultaneously targeting General Security checkpoints, with the apparent goal of inciting sectarian strife.

It also noted that media outlets and coordination groups linked to the “Red Bands” had deliberately blamed Alawites for the violence, fueling a coordinated sectarian incitement campaign.

The Federation held the Syrian government responsible for the events in Tel Kalakh, stressing that it is the state’s duty to maintain security and control what it described as “terrorist factions.”

It called on the international community and global organizations to take immediate action to ensure the safety of the Syrian people and halt what it termed “ethnic massacres and systematic ethnic cleansing.”

The statement further warned that this escalation starkly contradicts the promises of a peaceful political transition, championed by key stakeholders such as Saudi Arabia, the US and the EU. It highlighted that the forced alteration of Syria’s social and religious fabric threatens the existence of minority communities and risks a humanitarian catastrophe.

Among its demands, the Federation called for an independent international investigation into the Tel Kalakh massacre, an emergency session of the UN Security Council to impose urgent international protection for vulnerable communities, accountability for entities supporting or covering up these crimes. In addition to concrete implementation of guarantees under the Saudi peace initiative, as well as monitoring of propaganda and marginalization campaigns targeting minority groups.