The push comes as Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Shara, meets with representatives from Bahrain and Libya in Damascus.
Syria’s new government is conducting a security crackdown on what it describes as “remnants” of former President Bashar al-Assad’s rule, with operations underway in several parts of the country.
Syria’s official news agency SANA reported Saturday that authorities were carrying out a “large-scale clearing operation” near the city of Latakia on Syria’s northwest coast.
In a post shared on social media, SANA said it was in response to “reports of the presence of elements associated with remnants of Assad’s militia” in the area, where al-Assad enjoyed support from the Alawite community.
Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from the capital Damascus, said the new administration was not targeting the Alawite community to which al-Assad belongs.
Instead, authorities said the security operation was focusing on soldiers and Syrian army officials linked to al-Assad and his brother Maher al-Assad, a powerful former military commander.
“They said they had sent an ultimatum to the men to hand over their weapons to the new government,” Ahelbarra reported, adding that operations were also being carried out in Homs, Aleppo and the outskirts of Damascus.
The move comes days after 14 police officers were killed in an ambush by forces loyal to al-Assad in Tartus province, another region on Syria’s western coast.
Interior Minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman pledged Thursday to crack down on “anyone who dares to undermine Syria’s security or threaten the lives of its citizens.”
Syrian rebels led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) took control of the country earlier this month after a rapid offensive that ousted al-Assad, who had been in power for more than two decades.
A political transition is underway, with Syria’s new de facto leader, Ahmed al-Sharaa, who led HTS and previously had ties to al-Qaeda, recently holding talks with several Arab and Western diplomats.
Several countries have called on al-Shara to ensure that religious and ethnic minorities are protected amid recent tensions and fears that unrest could have a negative impact on Syria and the wider region.
“What happens next in Syria will not only affect Syrians themselves, but could also spread beyond Syria,” Al Jazeera’s Ahelbara said. “This is why people are worried about what will happen next.”
Al-Sharaa, also known as Abu Mohammed al-Julani, met a Bahraini delegation and senior officials of the UN-recognized Libyan government in Damascus on Saturday.
“We expressed our full support to the Syrian authorities in the success of this important transition phase,” Libyan Minister of Communications and Political Affairs Walid Ellafi told reporters after the meeting.
“We emphasized the importance of coordination and cooperation, especially in security and military issues,” Elafi said, and the two also discussed cooperation “related to energy and trade” and “illegal immigration.”
Meanwhile, Lebanese officials and war monitors said Lebanon expelled about 70 Syrian officers and soldiers on Saturday and sent them back across the border illegally to Syria through unofficial channels.
After al-Assad fell on December 8, many senior Syrian officials and people close to the al-Assad family fled to neighboring Lebanon.
The London-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said Syrian soldiers from various walks of life were repatriated via the Arida border in northern Lebanon.
SOHR and Lebanese security officials told Reuters the returnees were detained by new Syrian authorities after crossing the border.
