The recent massacre of 745 Alawite civilians in Syria is a chilling reminder that terrorists do not change just because they swap rifles for suits. The new Syrian transitional government, led by Ahmed al-Sharaa and his Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) faction, has tried to rebrand itself as a legitimate political force, but its actions tell a different story.
Despite its jihadist roots, the new regime has been embraced by Europe and the international community, which have rushed to lift sanctions and rebuild ties with Syria. Yet, within months of taking power, HTS forces have committed mass executions, ethnic cleansing, and war crimes—exactly what one would expect from a group that once swore allegiance to al-Qaeda.
A Massacre That Exposes the Truth
The mass killings in Latakia and Tartus, the heartland of the Alawite minority, show that Syria’s new rulers are not moderates but the same bloodthirsty jihadists they always were.
According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, at least 745 Alawite civilians were slaughtered, alongside 148 pro-Assad fighters. The total death toll now exceeds 1,018. The targets of the massacre were not military threats but ordinary families, murdered for their religious and ethnic identity.
For years, HTS and its affiliates claimed they had abandoned their jihadist past, but the reality is now undeniable. Their ideology has not changed, only their tactics and their wardrobe.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar has urged Europe to stop legitimizing Syria’s new rulers, warning that the international community is falling into the same trap it always does—treating terrorists as statesmen simply because they wear suits and speak in diplomatic language.
“Europe must not fail in reading the reality. These atrocities were no surprise,” Saar told Germany’s Bild newspaper.
He pointed out that Ahmed al-Sharaa and his men were jihadists and remain jihadists, despite their efforts to appear as a respectable government.
A Pattern of Western Naivety
This is not the first time the West has legitimized Islamist extremists, only to see them return to their terrorist roots. The same pattern has played out repeatedly:
- The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt gained Western support before attempting to impose an Islamist dictatorship.
- Hamas in Gaza was allowed to participate in elections in 2006, only to launch terror wars against Israel ever since.
- The Taliban in Afghanistan promised to be a “moderate” government but quickly resumed their brutal rule, suppressing women and sheltering terrorists.
Now, the same failed approach is unfolding in Syria, where the EU has already lifted sanctions on the country’s banking, energy, and transport sectors.
The massacre in Syria proves the point: jihadists in suits are still jihadists. It does not matter how many peace conferences they attend or how many handshakes they exchange with Western diplomats—their ideology remains the same.
If the world fails to recognize this, more massacres will follow. The only difference next time? The jihadists might be wearing ties when they justify the bloodshed.
