Syria: more than 70 killed in the worst clashes after the fall of Bashar al-Asad

Clashes between new Syrian security forces and armed groups loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad have left more than 70 dead in a coastal province in the northwest of the country. The information was confirmed by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.

"More than 70 dead, dozens wounded and captured in bloody clashes and ambushes on the Syrian coast between members of the Defense and Interior Ministries and gunmen from the defunct regime's army," the organization said on its X account.

The OSDH noted that these clashes in the city of Jableh and nearby localities are "the most violent against the new authorities since the fall of Assad."

The former president, who fled to Russia after ruling the country with an iron fist for 24 years, was overthrown on December 8.

Since then, the new authorities have faced the challenge of restoring security in the country, which has been the scene of a bloody civil war that began in 2011 and has claimed the lives of more than half a million people.

Fighting has been raging for days in the province of Latakia, a stronghold of the deposed president's Alawite minority on the Mediterranean coast.

In "a well-planned and premeditated attack, several groups of Assad militiamen attacked our positions and our checkpoints, hitting a large number of our patrols in the Jableh region," Mustafa Kneifati, head of security in Latakia, said in remarks picked up by AFP.

These actions caused numerous deaths and injuries among his troops, he added without giving a precise balance. The security forces "will restore stability in the region and protect the property of our people," he assured.

State news agency SANA further reported that security forces in Latakia "announced a curfew" until 10H00 (07H00 GMT) on Friday.

A general curfew was also imposed in Tartous and Homs from 22H00 Thursday until 10H00.

The arrest of an Assad general

During the operation in Latakia, security forces arrested a former head of the Air Force security services in Jableh, one of the security agencies closest to the Assad family, SANA reported.

In addition to the clashes, a number of rallies were organized on Thursday in several cities including Hama, Homs and Alepo to "support the security forces in their fight against the remnants of Assad's militias and restore security and stability in Jableh and its surroundings," the agency said.