Manuel Abu Ali, the founder of Middle East Christian Aid (MECA), a nonprofit dedicated to supporting Christian communities in the Middle East, described the crisis. An Evangelical Christian from Jerusalem, Abu Ali compared the plight of Syria’s Christians to what Israeli civilians experienced during the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023.
"This is a reality they face every single day. Except, there are no heroic soldiers coming to defend them. They’re on their own,” Abu Ali said.
A MECA team was delivering aid to Christians in Homs, a city located just east of the coastal regions of Latakia and Tartus, when violence erupted. Fighting between militants loyal to the ousted Assad regime and the Islamist government quickly escalated into brutal persecution and mass killings of civilians.
“The team found themselves hiding beneath furniture to avoid being shot or kidnapped by militias roaming the streets outside. They found themselves caught up in the deadliest period of violence in years – with over 1,000 civilians killed,” Abu Ali explained.
Homs has become a battleground between Alawite militias supporting Assad and the Islamist forces of the new regime. However, civilians, including Christians, are being targeted by both sides.
“A surge in violence and kidnappings erupted, and homes and shops were attacked in Homs and surrounding villages. Killing everyone in their way, including Christians. Our partners are saying Alawite militias loyal to Assad started this violence,” Abu Ali told AIN.
Reports from Syria’s coastal regions suggest that Christians were among the more than 1,000 killed in the recent fighting. Although the new government has promised stability, Abu Ali warns that its forces are made up of fighters with backgrounds in al-Qaeda and ISIS.
"Their true colors came out, with some taking advantage of the situation to clean the area of anyone that's not Sunni,” he said.
According to New Lines Magazine, Homs has been gripped by a wave of kidnappings and murders targeting minorities, particularly Alawites, since the new regime took power. The city’s new police chief denied that there has been an increase in violence, but Syriac Catholic Archbishop Jacques Mourad painted a different picture.
"We tried to talk with the officials, who have the social and political responsibility, but we’ve received no concrete reaction,” Mourad said.
“There is a repeat to all the things the Assad regime did before, we cannot accept this,” he added.
The Christian situation worsened dramatically in December 2024. After years of deadlock, the Islamist rebel group Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) launched an offensive from its northern stronghold in Idlib, bringing down the Assad regime in a swift attack.
The new government, led by HTS leader Ahmed al-Sharaa—who has past ties to ISIS and al-Qaeda—is struggling to impose order. Al-Sharaa is attempting to unite various armed groups, including foreign Islamist factions, into a national army.
Syria’s ethnic and religious minorities are viewed with suspicion by former rebels, many of whom believe they supported Assad’s brutal regime. Fear is widespread among these communities.
Despite the uncertainty, some Christian churches have publicly supported the new government, hoping it will uphold its promises of security. However, reports from the ground indicate that Syria’s Christians remain in grave danger.
