Russia and the United States on March 9 called for closed-door consultations at the United Nations Security Council to address the recent escalation on the Syrian coast which saw the death of hundreds of civilians from the Alawite minority in massacres carried out by government forces and affiliated militias.

A rebellion broke out on the Syrian coast on March 6 following a series of violations against the Alawites, with officers from the former Syrian Arab Army leading the move. The Alawites are an offshoot of Islam Shiite. The family of former Syrian president Bashar al-Assad belongs to the sect.

The rebels saw initial success in Latakia, Qardaha, Jableh, Banias and Tartus. Nevertheless, they were overpowered by government forces which brought in large reinforcements on March 7. Since then, Alawites civilians have been targeted en masse.

Both Russia and the U.S. have slammed the killings. In a statement, Russia’s First Deputy Permanent Representative to the UN Dmitry Polyancky said that both countries had urgently requested the meeting, which is expected to take place on March 10 under Denmark’s presidency of the Security Council.

In an alarming report, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said on March 10 that at least 973 civilians, mostly Alawites, had been killed in 39 separate massacres on the coast. The London-based monitoring group noted in previous reports that an additional 231 security personnel and 250 rebels had also been killed in the escalation.

Despite growing international pressure, at least 143 Alawite civilians were killed in the early hours of March 10, according to the SOHR.

Photos posted to social networks showed the bodies of dozens of victims, including women, children and elderly men, who had been slaughtered or shot from point blank.

Syrian government forces and affiliated militants, including foreign fighters, mostly from Central Asia and the North Caucasus, were reportedly responsible.

The massacres have so far displaced at least 10,000 Alawites to the governorate of Baalbek-Hermel in eastern Lebanon with more that 7,000 others taking shelter at Russia’s Khmeimim Air Base near Jableh.

The Syrian government announced on March 9 that it had formed a judicial committee to investigate what it described as “recent events” on the Syrian coast. Nevertheless, at least one of the committee members was revealed to have anti-Alawite sentiment, which raised doubts about the sincerity of the move.

The number of victims is expected to rise dramatically in coming days as activists from the coast said that government forces were working to get rid of the bodies by burying them in mass graves or even burning them. Some even went on to suggest that the real toll may be as high as 4,000.

The massacres have inflicted serious damage on efforts to legitimize the Syrian government. The rare joint move by Russia and the U.S. in the UNSC indicates that the country’s Islamist rulers could face consequences. While a military intervention remains highly unlikely for the time being, the government will certainly struggle from now to ease sanctions and receive aid.

See some photos here.

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