TEHRAN -- Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi has underlined the necessity of protecting the rights of minority groups in Syria under the country’s new rulers in a phone conversation with his Turkish counterpart Hakan Fidan.
The two top diplomats discussed mutual relations as well as the latest developments in Syria on Thursday.
Araghchi stressed that supporting Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity remains Iran’s principled policy. He also called for an end to the ongoing conflicts among various groups in Syria. 
The Iranian foreign minister highlighted the need for an inclusive Syrian government, which would include all political, ethnic and religious groups.
Araghchi also expressed concern over reports about the measures taken by certain armed groups against civilians in Syrian regions that are inhabited by Shias and Alawites.
The Hay’at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) militant group along with other militants seized control of Damascus on December 8, forcing former Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to leave the country.
Turkey, which shares a 911-kilometer-long frontier with Syria, has been a main backer of opposition groups aiming to topple Assad since 2011.
On Thursday, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said at least 13 people had been killed in Shia-populated villages in Syria’s Homs province amid raids by HTS forces and local gunmen.
The Military Operations Administration, backed by local gunmen, conducted “a large-scale security campaign” in the western countryside of Homs, west of Syria. 
According to the report, “four civilians” were killed in unlawful “extrajudicial executions” in Ghozaylah al-Gharbiyah and Hamam villages. Ten people were also injured, while five were arrested during the raid.
Also on Thursday, the group said the security forces arrested five people in Kanisah village.
Three more people were arrested in Tarin village, where three others were injured in indiscriminate firing. Moreover, 27 people were detained in Kafrnan village, while injuries were also reported.
The group also documented several assaults and abuses against locals, including being forced to bray and bark, while tombstones were destroyed.
Later in the day, the SOHR said unknown gunmen killed a man in “an extrajudicial killing” in Tasnin village in the northern countryside of Homa, after raiding his home.
Four bodies were also retrieved in Shinyah village, northwest of Homs.
Meanwhile, unknown gunmen killed four people and injured two others east of Maryamin village, after they refused to remove the photos of their religious references.
Over the past days, the forces of the HTS administration have launched campaigns against alleged “wanted and armed people, who refuse to make a settlement and hand over their weapons.”
According to the observatory, “83 retaliatory operations” have been recorded in various Syrian provinces since the start of 2025, killing 166, including five women, over their sectarian affiliation.
The attacks come while the HTS administration has sought to assure religious and ethnic minorities that their rights would be upheld.
The Hayat Tahrir al-Sham militant group along with other militants seized control of Damascus on December 8, 2024, forcing Assad to leave the country.