Syrian Coast Fires: Residents blame Government for slow response

Wildfires have spread from the Ghab Plain to the Tahr Mountains, and from Annab to Tartous, passing through the Bani Hashem shrines and the Abu Qubais forests, creating a catastrophic scene that has consumed both greenery and dry land.

 Thick smoke has blanketed the region, suffocating residents amid repeated calls for help without prompt or effective intervention from firefighting teams.

The fires, which have been raging for days, have devoured vast areas of forests and farmland, forcing dozens of families to flee as the danger encroached on their homes. The village of Annab, once a tourist destination, has been reduced to ashes.

According to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, residents confirmed the absence of firefighting teams in the initial hours of the fires, which allowed the flames to spread extensively.

Locals accused the transitional government of deliberate delays in firefighting efforts, suggesting that the intent was to let the fires reach rugged areas where remnants of the former regime are believed to be hiding. This has sparked widespread debate about the true motives behind the slow response, as reported by the Syrian Observatory.

 Residents highlighted that this pattern repeats consistently: an initial lack of response, followed by delayed intervention after the fires have already consumed vast areas, with some officials later appearing as "heroes." As the fires continue to burn, fears are growing over further losses to the region’s green cover, alongside significant economic and humanitarian damages.

 There are urgent demands to end what residents describe as "selective handling" of the disaster before it escalates into a broader tragedy.

a.k

ANHA