The new Syrian authorities have launched an operation in Tartus following an attack by pro-Assad forces.

The security forces of Syria's transitional administration have initiated an operation in the coastal province of Tartus to neutralize threats from groups loyal to the ousted president Bashar al-Assad. These actions are a response to the recent murder of 14 police officers in the region.

This information comes from RBK-Ukraine citing Reuters and the Syrian state news agency SANA.

According to Western media, on Thursday, the new authorities in Syria began implementing strict security measures in the Tartus area.

This was a reaction to an attack on the Ministry of Internal Affairs personnel. The official Damascus blames the "remnants" of the ousted Assad government for the attack and promises to pursue them.

The attack on December 26 resulted in the deaths of 14 law enforcement officers, with an additional 10 injured. The new authorities in Syria refer to this attack on police as an ambush.

Syrian state media reported the deployment of members of the Military Operations Department in the village of Maarat al-Mouazza in the rural area of Tartus "to restore security and stability."

According to SANA, the operation in Tartus is also aimed at "pursuing the remnants of Assad's armed forces in the forests and hills."

Preventing the Threat of "Interfaith Conflicts" in Syria

It is noted that the recent incident of violence in Tartus province, where many members of the Shiite religious group Alawites (to which Assad belongs) reside, has posed the most serious challenge to the new authority in Syria, led by Sunni Islamists, since the president was ousted on December 8.

"Members of the Alawite minority, a branch of Shiite Islam, had significant influence in Assad-led Syria, dominating the security forces he used against his opponents during the 13-year civil war and suppressing dissent for decades through his police state," writes Reuters.

The authorities in Damascus have also warned against attempts to incite interfaith hostility.

Additionally, leaders of the rebel forces that ousted Assad - representatives of the Islamist organization "Hayat Tahrir al-Sham" - have repeatedly promised to protect minority groups that fear the new government may attempt to impose an Islamist regime.

Syrian state media also reported on December 26 that the governor of Latakia, Mohammad Osman, met with prominent figures and sheikhs of the Alawite sect to "encourage community cohesion and civil peace along the Syrian coast."

Furthermore, the Syrian Ministry of Information confirmed that it is preventing the dissemination and publication of "any sectarian content aimed at spreading division among parts of the Syrian people."

Earlier reports indicated that the Syrian transitional government announced an agreement with rebel groups for their disbandment. The factions will unite into one organization under the auspices of the country's Ministry of Defense. However, according to media reports, the Kurdish group "Syrian Democratic Forces," supported by the U.S., did not join this agreement.

Additionally, on December 11, the new Syrian government assured the protection of all minorities. Syrian refugees were also urged to return home.