Dozens killed in clashes between Syrian forces and Assad loyalists, monitor says
Fighting in Syria’s coastal region was the most violent since the overthrow of Bashar al-Assad in December
More than 70 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Syria in fighting between government security forces and militants loyal to deposed ruler Bashar al-Assad, a war monitor said on Friday.
“More than 70 killed and dozens wounded and captured in bloody clashes and ambushes on the Syrian coast between members of the Ministry of Defence and Interior and militants from the defunct regime’s army,” the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said in a post on X.
It said earlier that fighting on Thursday between government forces and Assad loyalists had killed 48 people in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages, saying they were “the most violent attacks against the new authorities since Assad was toppled” in December.
The overall toll during this week’s unrest was not immediately clear.
Syria’s new authorities on Friday announced they were extending curfews in the coastal areas of Latakia and Tartus to the following morning, the state news agency SANA said, after deadly fighting in the region.
A top officer in Latakia province’s security department said the curfew was being extended to 9am on Saturday, while the curfew in the nearby city of Tartus was extended to 10am amid security operations targeting “regime remnants”, according to SANA.
