COMMENTARY: The mostly Christian small towns and villages located only a few miles away from where Alawite Muslims were slaughtered in recent days seem to have been untouched by the violence so far, contrary to some online reports.

The commander of a Kurdish-led force in Syria said on Sunday the country's interim president must hold the perpetrators of communal violence in Syria's coastal areas to account, accusing Turkey-backed factions of being primarily behind the killings.

Syria's new leader has vowed accountability and an investigation after reports of mass killings of Alawite civilians triggered an international backlash against the worst violence since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.