Militants aligned with Syria’s ruling Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) administration travel in a military vehicle as they head towards Latakia to join the fight against the fighters loyal to the deposed president Bashar al-Assad, in Aleppo, Syria, on March 7, 2025. (Photo by Reuters)
Informed sources say hundreds of university professors and academics have fled Syria amid the growing wave of abductions and killings targeting various individuals in the Arab nation under the Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) rule.
The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told al-Maalomah news agency that security situation within Syrian cities, particularly in the capital Damascus and other major cities, remains chaotic in the wake of escalating violations by HTS militants and their allies.
They added that the violations include arrests and direct assaults, as well as the dismissal of a large number of professors and lecturers from universities under the pretext of affiliation with the toppled government of Bashar al-Assad.
The sources highlighted that “more than 1,500 university professors and prominent academics left Syria following the downfall of the Assad government on December 8, with the pace of migration increasing further following the massacres perpetrated by HTS militants in the western coastal region.”
Dozens of doctors, engineers, and teachers lost their lives as a result of bloody clashes between HTS militants and armed opposition groups loyal to Assad.
The sources noted that “these massacres sent a horrific message to their colleagues in other cities, prompting many to leave the country and head to neighboring countries, especially Lebanon, in an attempt to secure their lives and professional future.”
The sources explained that the security situation has become increasingly uncertain, given the lack of security control and the growing influence of extremist groups seeking to alter the civilian character of Syrian society.
This is compounded by the increasing number of foreign fighters of various nationalities attempting to impose their extremist ideology on the local population.
