Alawites are an Arab ethnoreligious group who live primarily in the Levant region in West Asia and follow Alawism. A sect of Islam that splintered from early Shia as a ghulat branch during the ninth century, Alawites venerate Ali ibn Abi Talib, the "first Imam" in the Twelver school, as a manifestation of the divine essence. The group was founded by Ibn Nusayr during the 9th century, who was a disciple of the tenth Twelver Imam, Ali al-Hadi, and of the eleventh Twelver Imam, Hasan al-Askari. For this reason, Alawites are also called Nusayris.
On December 26, 2024, violent clashes broke out in Syria between remnants of the Syrian Arab Army (SAA) and Hayat Tahrir al-Sham..
Syria witnesses nationwide protests after the desecration of an Alawite shrine in Aleppo. Armed HTS militants allegedly fired on..