Clashes between Islamists who took power. the evening and supporters of the ousted president Bashar Assad's According to interim officials, the government killed two Islamist fighters and wounded others on Wednesday.
Details of how the fight started and who instigated the clash were not immediately known. Transitional authorities in Syria said two fighters were killed. Hayat Tahrir al-Shamor HTS, which led the spectacular offensive that toppled Assad earlier this month.
Syria's transition has been surprisingly smooth, but it's only been weeks since Assad fled the country and his administration and forces have dissolved. The rebels who ousted Assad are rooted in fundamentalist Islamic ideology, and although they have vowed to establish a pluralistic system, it is unclear how they intend to hold power.
Since Assad's fall, dozens of Syrians have been killed in reprisals, according to activists and observers, the majority of them from the minority Alawite community, the branch of Shiite Islam to which Assad belongs.
Alevi protesters clashed with anti-Sunni protesters in the capital, Damascus, and gunshots were heard. The Associated Press could not confirm details of the shooting.
Along the Syrian coast, Alawite protests also took place in the city of Homs and the rural areas of Hama. Some called for the release of former Syrian Army soldiers now held by HTS.
The Alawite protests were apparently sparked by an online video of an Alawite shrine being set on fire. Interim officials insisted that the video was old and not a recent incident.
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Sectarian violence has flared since Assad's ouster, but nowhere near the level of the nearly 14-year civil war that killed an estimated half a million people. The war has torn Syria apart, spawned millions of refugees and displaced tens of thousands across the country.
This week, some Syrians who were forcibly displaced began to leave their homes, trying to rebuild their lives. Shocked by the destruction, many people found little remains of their homes.
In the northwestern Idlib region, residents were repairing shops and sealing damaged windows on Tuesday, trying to restore a sense of normalcy.
The city of Idlib and much of the surrounding province has been under the control of the HTS for years, led by Ahmed al-Shara, formerly known as Abu Muhammad al-Golani, who was once linked to al-Qaida, but This series continues continuously. Attacks by government forces.
Hajaja Zakia Daimsaid, who was forcibly displaced during the war, said returning to her home in rural Idlib was bittersweet.
“My husband and I spent 43 years saving money to build our house, only to find it all gone,” said the 62-year-old.
In the dusty neighbourhoods, carts were driven with luggage on top. People stood silently on the streets or sat in empty coffee shops.
In Damascus, new Syrian authorities raided warehouses on Wednesday, seizing drugs such as Captagon and cannabis used by Assad's forces. One million Captagon pills and hundreds of kilograms (pounds) of cannabis were burned, interim officials said.
Album reported from Damascus, Syria and al-Sayed from Idlib, Syria.
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