In a significant display of public dissent, demonstrations unfolded across several provincial capitals in Syria, including Tartus, Latakia, and Homs. Participants, hailing from both rural and urban areas, united to voice their grievances. The protests were marked by chants condemning violence and advocating for enhanced administrative decentralization. Additionally, demonstrators called for the release of former military personnel currently held in detention. The Syrian state news agency, SANA, responded by publishing images of security forces deployed in these areas, emphasizing that their presence was aimed at safeguarding citizens and public infrastructure. The protests were catalyzed by a video message from Sheikh Ghazal Ghazal, president of the Alawite Supreme Islamic Council. In his address, Ghazal criticized what he described as ‘sectarian score-settling’ and urged the implementation of federalism and political decentralization as measures to protect the rights of all communities, particularly the Alawite minority.