Doha, March 9 -- Syria's transitional President Ahmed al-Sharaa on Sunday called for keeping national unity amid a sharp deterioration in the situation in coastal towns in the country's west, where local sources have reported mass killings of civilians amid clashes between security forces and armed groups opposed to the new government.
"What is happening in Syria now is one of the expected challenges ... We must preserve national unity and civil peace in the country, we have the opportunity to live together," al-Sharaa said during the morning service at a mosque in Damascus, as broadcast by the Syrian television.
He expressed confidence that Syria will be able to cope with the challenges, as it "has the potential for survival."
Armed cla...