Syria has suffered its worst bloodshed since Bashar al-Assad was toppled from power, with more than 1,000 people reported killed in violence that has swept the coastal region since Thursday.

Over 1,200 dead as ‘mass killing’ of Alawites continues despite Syrian leader’s call for peace - Sharaa's government urged to investigate targeted killings of hundreds of civilians in Alawite villages

Once empowered by the regime, many Alawites now face reprisals from rebel factions and displaced Sunni populations who suffered under Assad's rule.

The violence broke out on Thursday, three months after the insurgent-led government seized power, bringing an end to Assad’s reign. The casualties included 745 civilians, 125 members of the Syrian security forces and 148 fighters loyal to Assad.

The killings occurred in the heartland of Syria’s Alawite minority, escalating after a nascent insurgency formed against the Sunni Islamist government.

Ali Koshmr, a 36-year-old man from Syria's Latakia, around 330 km from Damascus, woke up to the sounds of gunfire, tires screeching and dozens of armed men shouting, "Come out, you Alawite pigs, Nusayris!

Assad's régime in Syria, the new government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa, have drawn international condemnation for a four day spiral of violence in the regions of Latakia and Tartus. When a group of gunmen loyal to Assad ambushed Syrian security forces,