The fighting against militias is only a fraction of the story though, as Defense Ministry and Interior Ministry forces carried out mass executions of Alawite civilians in the area. There are also reports they killed some members of the Christian minority, and Greek MEP Nikolas Faratouris, who was visiting Damascus this weekend claimed to have seen “reliable data” that over 7,000 Christians and Alawites were killed, though this is far higher than any other reports yet available.

The executions are broadly confirmed to have happened, though the exact toll is yet to be determined. More than 10,000 Syrian Alawites have fled into northern Lebanon in the past two days trying to escape the violence.