Fighters loyal to Syria’s ousted leader Bashar al-Assad attacked government forces on Thursday, killing at least 13 in one of the deadliest clashes since Islamist-led rebels seized power.

A coordinated assault by pro-Assad militias targeted security patrols and checkpoints in Jableh and surrounding areas, Syrian officials said. Heavy gunfire was reported in multiple cities as violence spread across the coastal region.

The head of security in Latakia, Lieutenant Colonel Mustafa Kunaifati, described the attack as a well-planned operation by "remnants of the Assad militias." The Interior Ministry confirmed ongoing clashes inside Jableh and a rising death toll among security forces.

The region remains a security challenge for interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, who is working to consolidate control three months after Islamist-led insurgents toppled Assad. The government has faced unrest in multiple areas, including the Israeli frontier, rural Latakia, and Homs.

Authorities have imposed a curfew in Tartous after protests erupted. Security forces also detained Ibrahim Huwaija, a former intelligence official under Assad’s late father, Hafez.

Violence has also escalated in southwestern Syria, with clashes in al-Sanamayn leaving around a dozen people dead this week.

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