Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa received a report into sectarian violence in Syria's Alawite heartland earlier this year and pledged measures to prevent its recurrence, the presidency said Sunday, without disclosing the findings.
Sharaa received the full report on the bloodshed from the fact-finding committee on July 13, the statement from the presidency said -- the same day sectarian violence erupted in the Druze minority province of Sweida.
In early March, Syria's Mediterranean coast, home to the Alawite religious minority to which ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad belongs, saw several days of intercommunal violence.
The new Islamist authorities accused Assad loyalists of sparking the violence by launching attacks on security forces, and sent military reinforcements to the area.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor reported that the government forces and allied groups committed massacres, killing more than 1,700 civilians, mostly Alawites.
Sharaa will "carefully examine the findings... to ensure steps are taken to advance the principles of truth, justice and accountability, and prevent the recurrence of violations" as part of building a new Syria, the statement said.
He asked the committee to hold a press conference to present its findings as soon as possible "if it seems appropriate", the statement added, without releasing any details of the report.
The presidency's announcement came after Sharaa a day earlier renewed his pledge to protect minorities amid violence in the Druze-majority province of Sweida which has killed over a 1,000 people since last Sunday, according to the Observatory.
In March, on Syria's Alawite coast, gunmen stormed homes and asked residents whether they were Alawite or Sunni before killing or sparing them, according to testimonies documented by survivors, rights groups and international organisations.
Entire families -- including women, children and the elderly -- were killed, with some of the violence recorded on video as victims in civilian clothing were executed.
On March 9, Sharaa announced the formation of an independent fact-finding committee to investigate the violence, initially pledging to release the findings within a month, but later delayed them until mid-July.
Amnesty International has urged Syria to publish the full results of the investigation and ensure those responsible are held accountable.