After the Homs Bombing and Coastal Protests: Who Is Behind Attempts to Ignite Sectarian Strife in Syria?
Executive Summary:
The bombing of the Ali ibn Abi Talib Mosque in Homs occurred within a broader pattern of efforts to escalate tensions in Syria. The attack was claimed by an obscure group calling itself “Saraya Ansar al-Sunna.” This report advances three main hypotheses regarding the identity and nature of this organization.
First, the group may constitute a real organization that has recently emerged as a splinter faction from Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham due to ideological disagreements, led by hardliners who reject the openness and pragmatic course adopted by the transitional government. This current had previously claimed responsibility for the bombing of the Mar Elias Church in Damascus and appears to possess a rudimentary media apparatus and a pronounced takfiri orientation.
Second, the group may be a fictitious organization, likely functioning as a propaganda front managed by remnants of the former regime, with the purpose of amplifying sectarian fears, undermining the legitimacy of the new Syrian authorities, and sabotaging the political transition. Indicators supporting this hypothesis include the poor quality of its statements and documented precedents of using fabricated organizations to destabilize security environments.
Third, the group may serve as an operational cover for ISIS, enabling the organization to claim sectarian attacks without using its direct name, as part of a renewed strategy to regain popular support. This is suggested by ideological similarities and parallels in media structures.
Despite the variation among these scenarios, the ultimate objective appears to be the same: undermining Syria’s social fabric in an attempt to derail the experience of the new Syria. This is reflected in the recent wave of protests in several areas of Homs and the coastal region, where the Homs bombing has been instrumentalized by Ghazal Ghazal, head of the so-called “Syrian Alawite Council in Exile,” to inflame sectarian sentiment. Such dynamics underscore the urgent need for heightened societal awareness and effective security coordination to safeguard national unity and prevent scenarios of internal strife.
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باحث ومستشار، كتب و شارك في كتابة العديد من الأوراق المتعلقة بالملف السوري. كما عمل مستشاراً وباحثاً في الشأن السوري لدى عدة مراكز سياسات سورية ناشئة، ولدى منظمات دولية. مدرب في مجال أساسيات ريادة الأعمال وأساسيات التحليل السياسي،
