Christians and other religious minorities in Syria are sounding the alarm as more than 1,000 people have been killed since last Thursday in what rights groups describe as some of the worst atrocities since the ouster of President Bashar al-Assad in December.

The violence, centered in Syria’s coastal regions, has primarily targeted Alawites, Christians and other minority communities, GB News reported, explaining that tensions escalated after an ambush on a security patrol near Latakia by gunmen loyal to Assad. This triggered a severe response from forces linked to Syria’s Islamist-led interim government.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights reported that 745 of the dead were civilians, many of whom were killed in shootings. Hundreds of others were members of security forces or militants. Witnesses and local monitors cited in media described the unfolding events as “sectarian massacres.”