The residents, members of the Alawite minority, now say their excitement has been replaced by fear. Masked men have terrorized the village, beating people, looting homes and using anti-Alawite slurs.

Assad and his family are Alawite, an offshoot of Shia Islam ... Down the road, the once illustrious tomb of Bashar's father is now a symbol of the rebel advance. As they took Latakia, cheering ...