Syria’s collapse into chaos has confirmed Tulsi Gabbard’s dire warnings as nearly 1,000 civilians have been slaughtered in the deadliest violence since the fall of the Assad regime, with Al Qaeda-linked terror groups specifically targeting Christian and Alawite minorities.

Top Takeaways

• At least 830 civilians have been killed in Syria, with the death toll expected to rise further.
• The violence is concentrated in coastal areas populated by Alawite minorities, with reports of executions and bodies in streets.
• Tulsi Gabbard’s previous warnings about Al Qaeda-linked groups taking control after Assad’s fall have proven accurate.
• Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terrorist group with Al Qaeda links, has emerged as a dominant force amid the power vacuum.
• Christian and Alawite communities are being specifically targeted in what observers call “the largest collective act of revenge” in the region.

Dire Warnings Realized as Violence Engulfs Syria

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) reports that more than 1,300 people have been killed in a 72-hour span of violence that has engulfed Syria’s coastal regions. The bloodshed marks the deadliest period since the collapse of Bashar al-Assad’s regime in December, with civilians bearing the brunt of the carnage. At least 830 civilian deaths have been confirmed, with the toll expected to rise as more areas become accessible to observers. The violence has particularly affected the coastal provinces, longtime strongholds of Syria’s Alawite minority community.

Interim Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa has publicly called for peace while his government struggles to assert control over a fractured nation. “We will continue to pursue the remnants of the fallen regime. . . . We will bring them to a fair court, and we will continue to restrict weapons to the state, and no loose weapons will remain in Syria,” Sharaa stated, even as his forces engage in fierce battles with armed Assad loyalists who still hold territory in the northwest coast. The situation has deteriorated into widespread displacement, summary killings, and revenge attacks that have shattered any hope for a stable transition of power.

Gabbard’s Warnings Prove Prophetic

Tulsi Gabbard, who now serves as Director of National Intelligence, had previously warned about the dangers of the Assad regime’s collapse. Her concerns about terrorist groups exploiting the resulting power vacuum have been validated as Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), a U.S.-designated terrorist organization with roots in Al Qaeda, has emerged as a dominant force in Syria. Video evidence and eyewitness accounts confirm widespread atrocities, with SOHR reporting that the majority of those killed are Alawites, including women and children who were executed by firing squad.

“I have no love for Assad or any dictator. I just hate al-Qaeda. I hate that our leaders cozy up to Islamist extremists, calling them ‘rebels’, as Jake Sullivan said to Hillary Clinton, ‘al Qaeda is on our side in Syria.’ Syria is now controlled by al-Qaeda offshoot HTS, led by an Islamist Jihadist who danced in the streets on 9/11, and who was responsible for the killing of many American soldiers,” Gabbard said during her confirmation hearing.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has blamed “radical Islamic terrorists” for the violence and called for accountability, while the Syrian Presidency announced the formation of an independent national committee to investigate the events. Critics argue these measures are inadequate given the scale of the humanitarian crisis unfolding.

Religious Minorities Under Siege

Both Christian and Alawite communities in Syria face existential threats as extremist militia groups target them for their perceived support of the former Assad regime. An Alawite woman reported threats and violence from Islamist militias, including the murder of an Alawite cleric and his son. Similar reports from Christian communities describe families being executed by Islamist forces. The systematic nature of these attacks suggests a coordinated effort to eliminate or displace religious minorities from their ancestral homelands in the coastal regions.

Federico Jachetti, Syria country office director for the Norwegian Refugee Council, described the situation as “a grim reminder that the situation in the country remains fragile.” This understates the gravity of what has become a full-blown humanitarian catastrophe, with verified videos showing bodies in the streets of Latakia amid explosions and gunfire. The Alawite community has reportedly sought U.S. support, fearing for their lives as they face what many observers describe as a campaign of ethnic cleansing deliberately targeting minorities who had been protected under the previous regime.