Syrian refugees recount bloodletting as sectarian killings swept coast

Thousands have fled into Lebanon after tensions between Syria’s Alawite minority and forces backing the new government exploded last week.

March 14, 2025

7 min

Syrian refugees cross the river marking the border near Massoudieh, a Lebanese village, on Wednesday. Thousands of largely Alawite refugees have crossed into Lebanon in the past week amid sectarian violence in Syria. (Lorenzo Tugnoli/For The Washington Post)

By Loveday Morris

and

Mohamad El Chamaa

MASSOUDIEH, Lebanon — The Syrian man was carrying his disabled 7-year-old son on his shoulders as the family arrived at a mosque just inside Lebanon to find shelter, fleeing the sectarian violence that erupted late last week in Syria’s coastal region.

The boy clung to his mother’s hand while his brother, 10, cradled a bandaged arm.

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