A Red Glare Across the Sky
Beneath a canopy of darkness that engulfs the horizon a mere ten meters away, a faint red glow streaks across the sky. A flare? No, just a festive firework, launched by unknown revelers. The men of Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) lower their gaze: no threat… for now.
In the frigid January night at Khirbat el-Maize, hostility descends from above. From the olive-tree-studded hills encircling the village, loyalists loyal to Bashar al-Assad’s former regime are said to lurk. At least, that’s what the five Kalashnikov-wielding fighters on patrol fear.
"They disperse individually, so they can’t be detected. Then they regroup and attack together," whispers Abu Fahd, 36, vigilantly scanning for the slightest movement.
In the coastal Tartous governorate, former regime supporters lie in wait, relentlessly hounded since December by the forces of the transitional authorities, dominated by HTS.
Skirmishes in the Shadows
Early February…
The HTS forces, spearheading the offensive against the loyalist holdouts, have already seized several strategic villages. But the insurgents are proving to be a tenacious foe, launching hit-and-run attacks and ambushes under the cover of darkness.
"We’ll be on patrol and the bullets will start flying from nowhere," says Abu Hamzah, 27, a commander in the 11th Brigade of HTS. "They know the land better than we do."
The loyalists’ resistance is fueled by a mix of desperation and loyalty to the Assad regime. Many of them are Alawites, members of the same religious minority as Assad, and fear retribution if the opposition prevails.
For the HTS fighters, the Tartous campaign is a crucial test. If they can crush the remaining loyalists, they will consolidate their control over a key gateway to the heartland of the Assad regime.
A Patchwork of Alliances
The conflict in Tartous has drawn in a complex web of local and regional players. Russia, a staunch ally of Assad, is said to be providing military support to the loyalists. Turkey, on the other hand, is backing HTS, eager to weaken Assad and expand its influence in northwestern Syria.
The situation is further complicated by the presence of armed units affiliated with the Islamic State (ISIS), which has repeatedly launched attacks against both HTS and loyalist forces.
A Perilous Path
As the fighting rages on, the civilians of Khirbat el-Maize find themselves caught between the crossfire. The village has been repeatedly shelled and residents have fled to makeshift shelters.
"We’re afraid to go out of our houses," says Umm Muhammad, a 40-year-old mother of five. "We don’t know who’s going to shoot us next."
The village elder, Abu Mustafa, implores the warring factions to spare the civilians. "We have nothing to do with this war," he pleads. "Let us live our lives in peace."
But in the treacherous landscape of Tartous, peace seems like a distant dream. The clashes continue, the red glow of explosions illuminating the darkness, and the civilians of Khirbat el-Maize bear the brunt of the violence.
