Dozens killed in clashes in Syria
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What sparked the recent violence in Syria?
I'm Rachel Wright, and at 14 Hours GMT on Friday the 7th of March, these are our main stories. Syrian government forces are reported to have executed more than 50 people in Latakia province, where troops have been fighting Assad loyalists. More than 180 people are missing after four boats capsize off the coast of East Africa. A South Korean court has ordered the release of the impeached president, after ruling that the warrant for his arrest in January was invalid. Also in this podcast, an international conference to discuss the Geneva Conventions in relation to Gaza has been cancelled at the last minute. One international lawyer says it's needed now more than ever.
That is maybe where we do have a duty to educate people that it is completely illegal under international law after the Second World War to gain territory through the use of force.
And the strange story of the webcam doorbell to help fish stuck in Dutch canals. The government of Bashar al-Assad ran Syria with rare brutality. Now, reports say their Alawite supporters may be suffering some of the same treatment. It's been reported that Syrian security forces have carried out a mass execution of about 50 members of the Alawite minority in the coastal province of Latakia, a stronghold of Assad support. There's unverified video showing dozens of bodies in the yard of a house. Another video is circulating showing a body being dragged by a speeding car in Latakia on Thursday night.
Why did the South Korean court release the impeached president?
Syrian government forces are carrying out a big security operation after clashes with Alawite gunmen which left more than 70 people dead. It all adds up to the worst violence in Syria since the fall of the Assad government in December. Our correspondent in Beirut, Hugo Beshega, gave us this update.
So this is coming from the monitoring group, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, which for years has been documenting incidents across Syria. They have a network of sources and activists working with them. And they say that... They have verified videos and also gathered testimonies from relatives of the dead, saying that 52 Alawite men were executed by Syrian security forces. Now, we haven't been able to independently verify those claims. We've seen one footage that has been released by activists. Dozens of bodies of men and boys in civilian clothing are piled in the yard of a house. Again, we haven't been able to independently verify the authenticity of the footage, but this follows those clashes in Latakia between government forces and supporters of the deposed president Bashar al-Assad.
Yeah, tell us about those clashes. 70 people were reported to have been killed?
Exactly. And this started yesterday. What we're hearing is that there was a significant military operation targeting an official from the Assad government in Latakia. This is a region on the Mediterranean coast in Syria. And government forces were then ambushed by fighters loyal to Bashar al-Assad. This led to some violent clashes. Confrontations then spread to other parts of the region. And what we're seeing today is this massive response by the authorities. Reinforcements with possibly hundreds of security forces have been sent from other parts of the country to coastal areas of Syria. Now there is a curfew until tomorrow. in both Latakia and Tartus, two major cities on the coast. And again, this is a stronghold of the Assad family.
So a snapshot of the tensions in Syria, a country that remains deeply divided.
In fact, how serious is this for Syria and its new Islamic government?
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Chapters
7 chapters
1
What sparked the recent violence in Syria?
1:03–2:50
2
What are the latest developments in Syria following Assad's fall?
2:50
3
Why did the South Korean court release the impeached president?
1:22–6:19
4
How dangerous is the migrant route from Djibouti to Yemen?
6:19–8:37
5
What is the significance of the cancelled Geneva Conventions conference?
8:37–11:23
6
How are French Mirage jets being used in Ukraine?
11:23–15:28
7
What challenges are faced by China's economy currently?
15:28–32:12
Speakers
18 identifiedMore from Global News Podcast
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