"An attempt to drag Syria into civil war" - Al-Shaara on what happened

Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has said the new government will not allow opponents of the transitional government or other external forces to drag the country into civil war, stressing in his message that all those responsible for the mass clashes will be punished.

Clashes between security forces and Alawites have been ongoing since March 7. According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, more than 1,000 people have died as a result of the clashes as of March 9.

Ahmed al-Sharaa blamed the uprising on "Assad's supporters" and "foreign powers." The Syrian president did not specify which states he was referring to.

"Today we are facing a new danger. This is an attempt by the remnants of the former regime and their foreign sponsors to incite new hostility and drag our country into civil war in order to undermine its unity and stability," al-Sharaa said.

Sharaa said the interim government office is now forming an independent committee to identify “any instigators of the clashes” and investigate the circumstances of the killings and public violence.

The unrest in the Alawite-populated Latakia region began early last week after government security forces attempted to “clear” a village near the city of Jableh. In addition to Jableh and Latakia, clashes are continuing on the streets of Tartus, Homs and Khmeimim.