Syria forces say clashing with gunmen loyal to Assad-era commander

DAMASCUS — Syrian forces were clashing with gunmen loyal to an Assad-era special forces commander in Latakia on Thursday, the province's security director said, after authorities reportedly launched helicopter strikes.

The port city of Latakia and the rest of Syria's Mediterranean coast are the heartland of the ousted president's Alawite minority and were considered bastions of support during his rule.

"The armed groups that our security forces were clashing with in the Latakia countryside were affiliated with the war criminal Suhail Al Hassan, who committed the most heinous massacres against the Syrian people," the security director told state news agency SANA.

Nicknamed "The Tiger", Hassan led the country's special forces and was frequently described as Assad's "favourite soldier". He was responsible for key advances by the Assad government in 2015.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights had earlier reported "strikes launched by Syrian helicopters on armed men in the village of Beit Ana and the surrounding forests, coinciding with artillery strikes on a neighbouring village".

SANA reported that militias loyal to the ousted president had opened fire on "members and equipment of the defence ministry" near the village, killing one security force member and wounding two.

Alawite leaders later called in a statement on Facebook for "peaceful protests" in response to the air strikes, which they said had targeted "the homes of civilians".

Tensions erupted after residents of Beit Ana, the birthplace of Suhail al-Hassan, prevented security forces from arresting a person wanted for trading arms, the Britain-based Observatory said.

Security forces subsequently launched a campaign in the area, resulting in clashes with gunmen, it added.

The Observatory said it could not verify the identity or affiliation of the gunmen.

The tensions erupted after at least four civilians were killed during a security campaign in Latakia, the monitor said on Wednesday.

Security forces launched the campaign in the Daatour neighbourhood on Tuesday after an ambush by "members of the remnants of Assad militias" killed two members of the security forces, state media reported citing security sources.

Islamist rebels led by Hayat Tahrir Al Sham led a lightning offensive that toppled Assad on December 8.

The country's new security forces have since launched extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions.