This morning Syrian media announced Suleiman Assad had been arrested over the shooting of senior air force officer Colonel Hassan al-Shiekh in the streets of Latakia.
As you probably remember, this killing sparked rare mass protests in the coastal Syrian city.
But it's not the first time Latakia's Alawites have had a problem with Assad, nor is last week’s discontent just about one military officer and one Assad. Here’s why.
1.The protesting Alawites are facing the same criticism from both sides. Suleiman Assad called them traitors for protesting, while a Twitter backash from the other side accused the minority religious group of trying to distance itself from a failing Assad regime and win back sympathy from other Syrian communities.
2. The shooting is about more than one air force officer. The Alewites makes up the bulk of support for the regime. In Latakia, they’ve paid dearly for this, as local men continue to die fighting for the Syrian army and volunteer militias. Colonel Hassan al-Shiekh himself was a part of a local volunteer militia force, so losing him to a pointless road rage incident by Assad's own family member really hits home for Latakia.
3. This dissent is not unprecedented. About a year ago, some 120 Syrian soldiers were taken hostage by Daesh and areas like Latakia were outraged. It sparked the Twitter hashtag #وينن, Arabic for "Where are they?" Now, mounting death tolls have more Alawites questioning the regime, and wonder how much more they should give to it.
