A source within the Syrian security forces informed Al Jazeera that fifteen security personnel were killed in various armed ambushes.
Gunmen loyal to ousted Syrian leader Bashar al-Assad have carried out attacks resulting in the deaths of at least fifteen security personnel in ambushes in the coastal province of Latakia, as confirmed by a security source speaking to Al Jazeera.
These incidents occurred on Thursday near the town of Jableh in the rural areas of Latakia, a region that holds significance for the Alawite minority sect, to which the al-Assad family belongs.
The Syrian security source relayed to the Al Jazeera Arabic network that the attacks resulted in the death of fifteen security personnel in various armed ambushes.
“The Syrian government will assert its control over all groups operating outside the law and will not tolerate any threats to security,” the source stated.
Al Jazeera’s Resul Serdar, reporting from Damascus, noted that the recent attacks have heightened tensions in the region.
He added that the central government had dispatched reinforcements, including numerous military vehicles, from various governorates such as Hama, Homs, and Idlib to Latakia in response to the attacks.
Shortly after the assaults, a video was released by a former commander under Assad, announcing the formation of a resistance group named the “coastal shield regiment” against the current government, according to Serdar.
The security director of Latakia province had previously informed the Syrian state news agency SANA that clashes were taking place between security forces and armed groups loyal to former special forces commander Suhail al-Hassan in the countryside of Latakia.
Security forces in Latakia have declared that the situation is now contained, with several attackers killed and many others captured, Serdar reported. Additionally, a curfew has been imposed in the coastal city of Tartous.
The Mediterranean coastal areas of Syria have posed significant security challenges for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa as his government strives to strengthen its authority across the nation.
