Since the March massacre, low-level violence has steadily increased along Syria’s coast, raising fears that local unrest could escalate into a full-fledged rebellion against President Ahmed al-Sharaa’s government.
A shaky video uploaded on September 2 shows a man crouching behind an earthen berm near a busy highway. He whispers the date, then says, “We are the People of Light,” seconds before an explosion tears apart a General Security vehicle.
The Interior Ministry blamed the attack—which killed two officers—on “elements still loyal to the previous regime.” The video was reportedly filmed near Jableh in Tartus Province.
This marks the first public appearance of the People of Light, an Alawite militant group that announced its formation a month earlier. In a September statement, the group warned Syria’s interim government: “Leave the coast. If you don’t listen, the skies will speak.”