Syria's leader Ahmed al-Sharaa on Friday, March 7, urged insurgents from ousted president Bashar al-Assad's Alawite minority to lay down their arms and surrender after the fiercest attacks on the war-torn country's new rulers yet, Le Monde reports.
"You attacked all Syrians and made an unforgivable mistake. The riposte has come, and you have not been able to withstand it," Sharaa said in a speech broadcast on Telegram by the Syrian presidency.
"Lay down your weapons and surrender before it's too late."
More than 250 people have been killed since the clashes erupted on Thursday along the country's western coast, which followed other deadly incidents in the area this week, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.
"There will be no more unregulated weapons," he pledged.
Western powers and Syria's neighbours have emphasized the need for unity in the new Syria, which is seeking funds for reconstructing a nation ravaged by years of war under Assad.
