Fierce fighting between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to deposed ruler Bashar al-Assad killed 48 people on Thursday, a war monitor said.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said the clashes in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages were "the most violent attacks against the new authorities since Assad was toppled" in December.

Pro-Assad fighters killed 16 security personnel while 28 fighters "loyal" to ousted President Bashar al-Assad and four civilians were also killed, it said.

The fighting struck in the Mediterranean coastal province of Latakia, the heartland of the ousted president's Alawite minority who were considered bastions of support during his rule.

Mustafa Kneifati, a security official in Latakia, said that in "a well-planned and premeditated attack, several groups of Assad militia remnants attacked our positions and checkpoints, targeting many of our patrols in the Jableh area."

He added that the attacks resulted in "numerous martyrs and injured among our forces" but did not give a figure.

Kneifati said security forces would "work to eliminate their presence". "We will restore stability to the region and protect the property of our people," he declared.

The........

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