The numbers from 48 hours of ethnic and religious cleansing operations by the forces of the caretaker jihadist government of Syria in the west of the country are frightening. Syria’s transitional government may have initially claimed 70 civilian deaths from attacks mainly in Latakia and Homs, but today that number officially exceeds 950 people and unconfirmed reports suggest more than 4,000 dead and thousands kidnapped.

The HTS forces that received both orders and weapons from Idlib province and Turkey clearly belong to the hard core of the recent jihadist past of the country’s interim president Al Sharaa. The manner in which they operated for at least two days as well, targeting house to house and neighborhood to neighborhood, shows that this was not a “spontaneous” jihadist movement along the lines of ISIS, but a well-organized and orchestrated plan that is frighteningly similar to what the Islamic State did in northeastern Syria a few years ago.

Proto Thema is in contact with people who experienced the extremes of the last few days in Latakia and Homs has secured photographic and video footage which is impossible to show as the scenes are indicative of unbelievable violence with which HTS jihadists first invaded and then did not hesitate to kill entire families and even children. Based on Proto Thema’s information from Syria, the largest number of dead does indeed come from the Alevi community but there are several hundred Christians who have been targeted by the murderous fury of the Al-Saraa assault battalions.

The move on the part of Syria’s interim president, in addition to the legitimate concern of the International Community and the mobilization of Israel in particular, which has made it clear in all tones that no human rights violations will be tolerated in the country, has also brought to the surface legitimate questions as to whether it is feasible for Al-Sara’a and his transitional government to “unlearn” their extreme terrorist past with such speed and ease and lead Syria to a more stable future.

Given the way the Syrian President has handled the situation which may have come to a head in the past few days but is a process that has been ongoing for at least two months, it shows that he will not hesitate to use the terrorist methods of Al Qaeda and ISIS if he deems it necessary to achieve his goals. For the West, which has indicated its intention to lift some of the sanctions imposed on Assad regime the new recent escalation seems not to be perceived as an “isolated incident” and beyond the harsh pronouncements about the practices used by the hard core military – almost personnel – that al-Saraa keeps active in the province that brought him to the fore, Idlib, is expected to intensify the pressure on him and Syria.

The European Union currently appears to have several objections to Al Sharaa’s “ways” and will not immediately “unfreeze” a greater volume of humanitarian aid to Syria.

At the same time, the new escalation and targeted persecutions in the west of Syria have again instilled fear and unrest not only among religious and other minorities in the country but also among moderate Muslims themselves who do not want a new civil war under any circumstances.

Turkey, which has given the most multi-level and dynamic help at the political, military and economic level in Syria, remains -seemingly- for the moment “silent” observing the events and reactions but practically supports the moves of the man on whom Ankara has staked so much.