Where is latakia

Assad needs to show he is protecting "Alawistan," unless he wants Alawite soldiers to take matters into their own hands and renounce their government support. During July and August , the rebel offensive in the al-Ghab plain threatened Latakia and the underpopulated Alawite villages in northern Jabal al-Ansariyya.

Given all these dynamics, the risk of a Sunni uprising in Latakia still exists. The Sunni suburb of al-Ramel al-Filistini has been surrounded by the Syrian army since the August uprising, and many residents are awaiting the right moment to act.

For the rebels, gaining access to the sea is both strategic and symbolic. The case for Latakia, from this perspective, is comparatively strong.

To begin with, the road to Latakia is more accessible than the Tartus road. In addition, Tartus -- as contrasted with Latakia -- is a true Alawite city, with Alawites constituting 80 percent of the population, along with 10 percent Sunnis and 10 percent Christians.

Moreover, the population residing between Tartus and Homs is predominantly Alawite, with a strong Christian minority e. In the countryside surrounding Tartus, Sunnis are concentrated around al-Hamidiyah and Talkalakh. Complicating other jihadist roads to the sea are Hezbollah and the Syrian army, which are stiffly controlling the Lebanese border to prevent any coordination between Sunnis in Syria and the Sunni Akkar district and Tripoli.

This strategy was exemplified by the al-Qusayr battle in May Currently, Damascus and Homs are being protected by Hezbollah and other Shiite militias.

Holding this territory is essential for the regime, Hezbollah, and their Iranian backers. Meanwhile, Latakia represents less of a strategic interest for Iran, as contrasted with Russia, which wants to maintain a presence along the coast more than in Damascus or the Golan Heights.

Toward this end, the Russian navy still holds its base in Tartus and plans to rebuild the former Soviet submarine base in Jableh, some twenty miles south of Latakia. With the aim of bolstering a future Alawite state on the Syrian coast, whether it extends to Damascus or not, Russia is also fortifying its position along the southern Turkish border, with the ultimate goal of preventing Sunni Syrian forces from gaining access to the sea.

Given the rebels' spring offensive near Idlib, a real possibility exists that the civil war will reach Latakia. A rebel army could find strong support from Sunni residents, many of whom have long dreamed of revenge for regime efforts to impose Alawite control over the city. After the April fall of Jisr al-Shughour, fear overtook the Alawite population, and some families fled for Jabal al-Ansariyya, which is considered more secure than Latakia, whose refugees' loyalty to the government can hardly be assessed.

Many Russians are living in Latakia, and they understand very well the sectarian problem facing the city and countryside alike. As for the influx of Russian troops, they are needed to protect the city given the present weakness of Syrian forces. If the rebels succeed in taking all or part of the city, rooting them out would be extremely difficult.

Such a takeover would challenge the Russian path forward, perhaps modeled on Abkhazia, the territory that now exists almost entirely independent of Georgia thanks to Russian protection -- and that fits the Russian practice of grooming microstates on its periphery to serve as military bases.

The fine sandy beach attracts many Syrian tourists to Latakia, especially in the summer months. In the immediate vicinity of the beach there are a number of private holiday homes and campsites as well as two larger luxury hotels dedicated to international tourism.

Also popular with tourists is the harbour of the city, as well as the Al-Moghrabi mosque or the Roman Church of the city. Your email address will not be published. Buenos Aires 10, Kilometer. Mumbai 3, Kilometer. Mexico City 10, Kilometer. Beijing 6, Kilometer.

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Jakarta 7, Kilometer. Tokyo 8, Kilometer. New York City 8, Kilometer. Dongguan 6, Kilometer. Taipei 6, Kilometer. Kinshasa 4, Kilometer. Lima 10, Kilometer. Cairo Kilometer. London 3, Kilometer. Chongqing 5, Kilometer. Chengdu 5, Kilometer.