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Two days ago, thousands of residents of the Syrian cities of Hama, Homs, Latakia and Tartus held protests against the new regime established in the country. People protested against the recent series of atrocities committed by the rebels after they took power. Civilians, including members of ethnic and religious minorities, have been killed and religious sites desecrated.

Security forces controlled by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham responded with force, opening fire on the protesters. Dozens of people were reportedly killed and wounded in the shooting.

Despite the photographic and video evidence, Hayat Tahrir al-Sham’s media blamed the escalation on former members of the Syrian Arab Army. According to this version, former SAA members allegedly opened fire on demonstrators in order to destabilize the situation in the country.

These accusations were used as a pretext for a major operation against what the HTS called ‘gangs of the Bashar al-Assad regime’ and ‘illegal armed groups’ allegedly acting on orders from Iran. The Alawite minority has been among the first to suffer. Many have been detained, beaten and then lost.

In practice, it is nothing but a clumsy justification for launching mass repression on religious and national grounds. The first mass night of the “long knives” took place on 25 and 26 of December. It continued through last night. Unknown armed men broke into the houses of Syrians, mainly Alawites, Christians and Shiites, robbed, killed and took people to unknown destinations. There have been hundreds of victims.

The violence doesn’t stop during the day either. In Hama province, fighters of the new regime shot dead three Alawite judges who were travelling to the town of Masyaf. Earlier, the new Syrian authorities had called on them to return to work and promised them immunity. Several former SAA soldiers were also killed in the same province. Earlier, the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham leadership had guaranteed them safety if they laid down their arms.

The current authorities in Damascus have initially blamed the arson on foreign jihadist elements operating in the region and have promised to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice. Eight people were arrested immediately after one incident. They were identified as being from Uzbekistan and belonging to one of the groups affiliated to Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.

In general, the vast majority of such crimes are not committed by Syrian Arabs among the HTS, but by foreigners. Most of them come from Central Asia, Turkey and Afghanistan. Whether the HTS leadership can handle the situation remains to be seen. But it is clear that what happens in Syria will have a direct impact on the internal situation in European countries in 2025. Refugees from Africa will look like angels to Europeans compared to radical jihadists who have tasted blood and experienced a sense of impunity.