Baniyas:The arrest of Ali Kayali, also known as Mihrac Ural, has reignited attention on the 2013 massacres in the village of al-Bayda and the Ras al-Nabaa neighborhood of Baniyas, located in Syria's western Tartus Governorate. These incidents involved the mass killings and summary executions of hundreds of civilians, including women and children, during the presidency of Bashar al-Assad, who was ousted in late 2024.
According to Anadolu Agency, the Syrian Arab News Agency (SANA) reported that the General Intelligence Directorate apprehended Kayali while he attempted to flee across the border. He has been described as the 'main suspect' in the Baniyas massacres. Videos circulated online show mosques in Al-Bayda broadcasting chants of 'Allahu Akbar,' with residents reportedly celebrating his arrest.
The massacres occurred on May 2 and 3, 2013, when Assad regime forces and allied armed groups executed military operations in Al-Bayda and Ras al-Nabaa. These operations included summary executions and mass killings of civilians. An August 2013 report by the UN Independent International Commission of Inquiry on Syria documented that regime forces had surrounded Al-Bayda, closed access routes, shelled the town, and then entered with members of the National Defense Forces. The commission found bodies inside homes and in the streets, some burned and others showing signs of beating.
The following day, the operation extended to Ras al-Nabaa, where similar tactics were employed. Families, including children, were among those executed. The UN commission linked the two operations and found no evidence of armed opposition activity in the areas during the killings. The commission estimated that between 150 and 250 civilians were killed in Al-Bayda and between 150 and 200 in Ras al-Nabaa, concluding that the Assad regime forces and allied groups were responsible for war crimes.
During the Syrian uprising, Kayali led the Syrian Resistance, an armed group that fought alongside the Assad regime and participated in military operations across Syria. Syrian authorities have connected Kayali and his group to the Baniyas massacres, announcing his arrest more than 13 years after the events.
On October 4, Syria's Interior Ministry announced the arrest of Jamal Trabelsi, Kayali's deputy in the Syrian Resistance. Trabelsi participated in combat operations supporting the former regime, including the Baniyas massacres and fighting in Hama, Idlib, and Aleppo. Kayali's arrest followed 11 days after Trabelsi's detention, indicating a new phase in holding those accountable for violations under the former regime.
In May, residents of Baniyas and its surrounding areas commemorated the anniversary of the massacres, calling for accountability and answers regarding the fate of missing individuals.