The death toll from clashes in the western Syrian province of Latakia between Syrian regular forces and loyalists of the deposed regime of Bashar al Assad has risen to at least 70 dead and dozens injured. This was reported by the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, according to which dozens of other people were captured "in the bloody clashes and ambushes that took place on the Syrian coast between members of the Ministry of Defense and the Interior" of the new administration and "armed men of the deposed regime".
Hours earlier, the London-based NGO had already reported the deaths of 48 people, including four civilians, in the first day of clashes in Latakia, while Damascus announced the dispatch of "large reinforcements".
