Sebastian Usher

officials and the new Syrian authorities in this drive by the new powers to round up essentially as many of the kind of leading regime officials that they can in order to bring them to justice. And we've seen this in Syria itself. in the West, in Tartus particularly, where there's been, in some ways, almost a kind of manhunt that's been going on.

officials and the new Syrian authorities in this drive by the new powers to round up essentially as many of the kind of leading regime officials that they can in order to bring them to justice. And we've seen this in Syria itself. in the West, in Tartus particularly, where there's been, in some ways, almost a kind of manhunt that's been going on.

That has caused some unrest there as well amongst the Alawite community to which the Assad's belong.

That has caused some unrest there as well amongst the Alawite community to which the Assad's belong.

I mean, what they're saying in public is... is that they want people to be brought to proper justice. So that implies that there'll be trials and they don't want Syrians themselves to take justice into their hands to commit acts of personal revenge. I mean, there've been videos circulating again, none of them really confirm of some lynchings. So there is a concern that,

I mean, what they're saying in public is... is that they want people to be brought to proper justice. So that implies that there'll be trials and they don't want Syrians themselves to take justice into their hands to commit acts of personal revenge. I mean, there've been videos circulating again, none of them really confirm of some lynchings. So there is a concern that,

inside Syria and obviously outside, that this drive for justice against the Assad regime, which doesn't degenerate into essentially a form of revenge in which violence becomes the main way that it's meted out. I mean, that would be seen

inside Syria and obviously outside, that this drive for justice against the Assad regime, which doesn't degenerate into essentially a form of revenge in which violence becomes the main way that it's meted out. I mean, that would be seen

obviously as a failure of the new authorities to impose their idea of law, of a new free Syria where they say people can breathe easily, which is what one hears on the streets.

obviously as a failure of the new authorities to impose their idea of law, of a new free Syria where they say people can breathe easily, which is what one hears on the streets.

I mean, I think they're keen to establish a new relationship with Syria. But the government, the authorities want to open up. you know, a new page, one in which Syria, and this is what the new de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaf, said, that Syria will no longer have a negative influence in Lebanon.

I mean, I think they're keen to establish a new relationship with Syria. But the government, the authorities want to open up. you know, a new page, one in which Syria, and this is what the new de facto leader of Syria, Ahmed al-Sharaf, said, that Syria will no longer have a negative influence in Lebanon.

So this kind of cooperation would be an effort to show from a Lebanese side that they're willing to help the authorities and the hope would be that that would build confidence.

So this kind of cooperation would be an effort to show from a Lebanese side that they're willing to help the authorities and the hope would be that that would build confidence.

What we're hearing from the HDS side, from the new authorities in Syria, is that they've launched a big operation in Tartus after the killing of 14 police security officers on Wednesday. And they're saying that these are remnants of the Assad regime and they're hunting them down in the woods and the valleys of Tartus. So not just in the port city, but in the province itself. As a whole.

What we're hearing from the HDS side, from the new authorities in Syria, is that they've launched a big operation in Tartus after the killing of 14 police security officers on Wednesday. And they're saying that these are remnants of the Assad regime and they're hunting them down in the woods and the valleys of Tartus. So not just in the port city, but in the province itself. As a whole.

And from the other side, from the Alawite side, I mean, you know, one can only go by some of the protests that there have been, which suggest that there is at least still quite a hard core of...

And from the other side, from the Alawite side, I mean, you know, one can only go by some of the protests that there have been, which suggest that there is at least still quite a hard core of...

At best, people who are worried and unsettled by what's happened, because obviously President Assad belonged to the Alawite community and his future and their future very much seem to be bound up for years. I mean, the change very particularly is of this Islamist-led government that is now in place.

At best, people who are worried and unsettled by what's happened, because obviously President Assad belonged to the Alawite community and his future and their future very much seem to be bound up for years. I mean, the change very particularly is of this Islamist-led government that is now in place.