Syria's leader on Sunday vowed accountability and an investigation after the killing of Alawite civilians triggered an international backlash against the worst violence since Bashar al-Assad's overthrow.

In its latest toll, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights war monitor said 830 Alawite civilians were killed in "executions" carried out by security personnel or pro-government fighters in the coastal provinces of Latakia and Tartus.

The Mediterranean area is the heartland of the Alawite minority community to which Assad, the toppled president, belongs.

United Nations rights chief Volker Turk said the killings "must cease immediately", while the Arab League, the United Nations, the United States, Britain and other governments have condemned the violence.

"We will hold accountable, firmly and without leniency, anyone who was involved in the bloodshed of civilians... or who overstepped the powers of the state," Syria's interim president Ahmed al-Sharaa said in a video posted by state news agency SANA.

Earlier Sunday, the presidency announced on Telegram that an "independent committee" had been formed to "investigate the violations against civilians and identify those responsible for them", who would face the courts.

Fighting between the new security forces and loyalists of the former........

© Al Monitor