Nearly 200 people have been killed in clashes between new government forces and loyalists in Syria – as the country faces the worst violence since the fall of President Assad.
Dozens of men were killed on Thursday and Friday as government fighters stormed three villages near Syria’s coast.
The village assaults were in response to recent attacks on government security forces by loyalists of ousted President Assad, a war monitor said.
Clashes between the two sides have been ongoing since the former regime was toppled in December by insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham.
According to the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, nearly 200 people were killed in the recent violence.
In addition to 69 killed in the villages, the dead includes at least 50 members of Syria’s government forces and 45 fighters loyal to Mr Assad.
It comes as the new government has pledged to unite Syria after 14 years of civil war.
The most recent clashes began when government forces tried to detain a wanted person near the coastal city of Jableh on Thursday but were ambushed by Assad loyalists, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
A rocket is seen being fired as authorities extended the curfew in the cities of Latakia and Tartus in northwest Syria on Friday following clashes
Dozens of men were killed on Thursday and Friday as government fighters stormed three villages near Syria’s coast
Soldiers are seen in a vehicle with damaged windows as authorities extended the curfew in the cities of Latakia and Tartus in northwest Syria on Friday
On Thursday and Friday, gunmen loyal to the new government stormed the villages of Sheer, Mukhtariyeh and Haffah near the coast.
‘They killed every man they encountered,’ said observatory chief Rami Abdurrahman.
Beirut-based Al-Mayadeen TV also reported the attacks on the three villages, saying that more than 30 men were killed in the village of Mukhtariyeh alone.
While Syrian authorities did not publish a death toll, state news agency Sana quoted a security official as saying that numerous people went to the coast seeking revenge for recent attacks on government security forces.
The official, who was not named, said the actions ‘led to some individual violations and we are working on stop them’.
Overnight, Damascus sent reinforcements to the coastal cities of Latakia and Tartus and nearby villages that are home to Mr Assad’s minority Alawite sect and make up his longtime base of support.
A curfew remained in effect in Latakia and other coastal areas.
Under Mr Assad, Alawites held top posts in the army and security agencies.
Smoke rises as search and sweep operations are being expanded to track down remnants of the deposed Bashar al-Assad regime
Clashes between the two sides have been ongoing since the former regime was toppled in December by insurgents led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham
In addition to 69 killed in the villages, the dead includes at least 50 members of Syria’s government forces and 45 fighters loyal to Mr Assad
Black smoke rises as authorities extended the curfew in the cities of Latakia and Tartus in northwest Syria on Friday
The new government has blamed his loyalists for attacks against the country’s new security forces over the past weeks.
There also have been some attacks against Alawites in recent weeks, though the new government says it will not allow collective punishment or sectarian vengeance.
Geir O. Pedersen, the United Nations special envoy for Syria, said in a written statement that ‘all parties should refrain from actions that could further inflame tensions, escalate conflict, exacerbate the suffering of affected communities, destabilise Syria, and jeopardize a credible and inclusive political transition’.
