Alawites in Assad's hometown welcome rebels: Report

The HTS-led rebels who toppled Syria's Bashar al-Assad met elders in the former president's Alawite hometown on Monday and received their support, in what residents said was an encouraging sign of tolerance from the country's new rulers. 

How the rebels treat the sizeable Alawite population, who widely backed Assad and from whom he drew his personal presidential guards, is seen in Syria as a litmus test of whether the takeover of Damascus on Sunday leads to violent revenge against former Assad loyalists.

The rebel delegation visited Assad's hometown of Qardaha in the mountains of Latakia province in northwest Syria, meeting with dozens of religious men, elders and others at the town hall for a discussion, before the Alawite notables signed a statement of support, three residents said.

- Reporting by Reuters