TRANSCRIPT
The civil war in Syria was supposed to be over.
But now, according to UK based monitoring groups, over 1,300 Syrians have been killed in a matter of days including over 800 civilians.
For Ghada Marouf in Sydney, the nightmare in Syria is unbearable.
In just two days, she says her extended family in Tartus has been wiped out.
"My extended family, about seventy people or more, have passed away, and until now there are people we don’t know anything about, relatives, acquaintances, neighbours, friends. We try to communicate with them on a daily basis, and we are collapsing from crying. Until now we have not been able to communicate."
The ongoing violence reportedly broke out last week between government security forces and loyalists of the former President Bashar al-Assad in the north-Western regions of Latakia and Tartus, the heartland of the Alawite minority, the religious sect to which the former president belongs.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says around 250 fighters loyal to the former Assad regime have been killed as well as 231 members of the country's security forces, taking the death toll to over 1,300.
The war monitor also says at least 830 Alawite civilians have been killed in executions carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters.
Ghada Marouf says that with every call from Syria, she fears more bad news.
"The moment I heard my sister's voice, she was screaming and sending me a voicemail saying, 'Sister, maybe you can hear my voice now, but we don't know what will happen to us later.' Her children were next to her and screaming."
The violence is the worst Syria has seen since rebel militias toppled the Assad regime back in December.
Syria's new interim leader and former Al-Qaeda fighter, Ahmed al-Sharaa, has been accused of persecuting minority groups since his rapid rise to power.
Mr al-Sharaa has denied this, saying he intends to bring the perpetrators of these latest attacks to justice through legal means.
"We confirm that we will hold accountable, with all firmness and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians or harmed our people, or who exceeded the powers of the state or exploited power to achieve his own goals."
Fellow Syrian-Australian woman, Tima, feels time is running out to find her missing loved ones.
She's lost 14 people altogether in Latakia, including her cousin Ibrahim.
"Ibrahim was outside of his house looking for his sister as he was looking for her, they approached him and they started yelling at him to run back into his house. As he was trying to go back in they started shooting him. First shot was in the leg. As he's run inside screaming, they've shot him again and again and again until he fell to the floor and they just kept shooting into him. They approached the house, they shot the mum and dad and then they shot the little girl in her head in cold blood. No feelings, nothing, just gone... the whole family."
The United Nations human rights commissioner Volker Turk is calling for an inquiry to investigate the killings, while condemning violence between security forces and pro-Assad forces.
Here in Australia, the Syrian Alawite community is also calling for immediate action.
Fatima Ali from the Muslim Alawite Advocacy Group says she wants the government to respond.
"We ask the Australian government and, in fact, the Australian people to take note to what's happening and to take immediate action when whatever capacity possible. We ask the Australian government to join other nations that have already denounced these atrocities to denounce them and declare its support publicly for the protection of human rights and the protection of minorities."
In a statement to SBS, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade has said that the Australian government is deeply concerned about the escalation of violence in Syria in recent days, including reported civilian casualties.
The Department says that Australia is calling for restraint from all parties and for the protection of civilians in accordance with international law.
