THE TREES of Khirbet al-Mezzeh are loaded with over-ripe lemons. The hillside village lies close to the town of Tartus, within the heartland of Syria’s Alawites, an offshoot of Shia Islam from which the Assads hail. Footage of Bashar al-Assad, the ousted dictator, had been ubiquitous however have vanished. Bearded males in fatigues stay watch at checkpoints. Some put on badges related to Islamic State (IS). Their accents aren’t native—many are from Aleppo, Idlib or Raqqa. Their presence makes the power to Tartus a trial for villagers who concern arrest or violence.
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