More than 70 people are killed in Syria as forces clash with Assad supporters in the coastal region

More than 70 people have been murdered in clashes in Syria’s coastline region as Assad-aligned fighters and the country’s new leadership clash.

There has been intense fighting in a coastal region of Syria between forces associated with the country’s new leadership and rebels loyal to former President Bashar al-Assad.

Since Assad was overthrown by rebels in December and an Islamist transitional government was put in place, Syria has seen its worst violence.

A war monitoring group, the British-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, says more than 70 people have been killed.

The port cities of Tartous and Latakia, where the violence has started, have been placed under curfew.

Government soldiers were attacked during a security operation in Latakia, which sparked the fighting.

Videos released online indicate intense gunfire in certain areas, and reinforcements have been sent.

The Assad family, who are Alawite, have a stronghold on the coastline region, which is the Alawite minority’s heartland.

The BBC has not been able to independently confirm the various estimates of the number of individuals killed in the violence.

On Friday, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that 71 individuals had been murdered, including four civilians, 32 gunmen connected to the army of the old regime, and 35 members of the government forces.

According to the human rights group, tens of others were injured in the fights.

According to the group, military personnel, checkpoints, and headquarters along the coastline had been ambushed by gunmen, some of whom were from the previous administration.

While some local gunmen hid in Jableh city, others gained control of military zones and launched strikes from locations in the Latakia highlands.

While armed units have been ambushed on highways, members of the former regime army have been stationed in a number of coastal towns and villages.

Late on Thursday, Syrian-based Step news agency said that government-aligned forces had killed “about 70” former regime militants, while more than 25 others were detained in Jableh and the adjacent territories.

Conflicts in the cities of Aleppo and Homs have also been reported.
Unverified social media images showed the crackle of heavy gunfire in Homs’ residential streets.

Colonel Hassan Abdul Ghani, a spokesman for Syria’s defense ministry, warned Assad supporters engaged in combat in Latakia through state media.

While some people insist on running away and dying in support of murderers and other criminals, thousands have decided to give up their weapons and go back to their families. “The decision is simple: surrender your weapons or accept your unavoidable fate,” he stated.

Ahmed al-Sharaa, the interim president, now faces a significant security issue in the region.

Alawite activists claimed that after Assad’s overthrow, their community has been attacked and subjected to violence, especially in rural Homs and Latakia.

In the south, where there have been recent skirmishes with Druze forces, he is also encountering opposition.

Syria’s new government is determined to destroy any leftover stockpiles created under Assad, the country’s foreign minister told the international chemical weapons watchdog earlier this week.

Activists accused Assad’s regime of carrying out scores of chemical assaults during the 14-year civil war, however the government denied ever employing chemical weapons.