Thousands of people took to the streets in several cities in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus, as well as in some towns in Homs and Hama, to demand the release of former military officers detained after the overthrow of the previous government and to call for political changes, including federalism.

The demonstrations also expressed rejection of what they consider practices exclusive to the current government, and denounced acts of violence committed against members of the Alawite community, the most recent being an attack inside a mosque in the city of Homs that left eight dead.

According to official sources, security forces were deployed to contain the gatherings and protect protesters, but some protests turned violent after attacks by counter-protesters.

The Interior Ministry reported that armed groups linked to the deposed government of Bashar Al-Assad took advantage of the demonstrations to launch attacks with live ammunition, knives and grenades against members of the Internal Security Forces and civilians.

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