As Syria’s Interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa struggles to ensure stability in the country, militant groups supporting ousted President Bashar al-Assad are not the only cause of his worries

Syria’s new Islamist leader vows action after his soldiers massacre civilians - Ahmed al-Sharaa’s forces kill hundreds of civilians from minority Alawite community following ambush by insurgents loyal

The British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said on March 8 that more than 1,000 people had been killed in two days of fighting. It said 745 were civilians, 125 members of the Syrian security forces and 148 fighters loyal to Assad.

Local television reports that the country's president has ordered the creation of an independent commission to investigate what happened, and the inquiry will be known within a maximum period of 30 days.

Outstanding issues between Damascus, the armed Druze groups, and the SDF can likely be resolved through protracted negotiations and mutual willingness to compromise.

The violence has raised the specter of a larger sectarian conflict in Syria and stoked panic in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.

The resumption of hostilities in Syria could change everything, and the Russian military could suddenly find itself in a precarious and vulnerable position.

An ambush on a Syrian security patrol by gunmen loyal to ousted leader Bashar Assad escalated into clashes that a war monitor estimates have killed more than 1,000 people over four days.

Syria’s leader vowed on Sunday to hunt down the perpetrators of violent clashes pitting loyalists of deposed President Bashar al-Assad against the country’s new Islamist rulers and said he would hold to account anyone who overstepped their authority.