Syria's interim president, Ahmed al-Shara, told Reuters that the massacres of members of the Alawite community were jeopardizing his efforts to unify the country. He promised to prosecute those responsible, even if they were his allies.
"Syria is a state of law, and the law applies to everyone," al-Shara declared. "We fought to protect the oppressed and we will not allow blood to be spilled unjustly or without punishment, even if these are people who are the closest to us."