Hundreds of people, including over 125 civilians, have been killed along Syria’s Mediterranean coast in what authorities consider the deadliest burst of violence since Islamic rebels defeated President Bashar al Assad’s forces in December.
More than 225 people have died in the fighting that erupted in Latakia and Tartous this week, according to a Friday tally from the Syrian Network for Human Rights, notes CNN.
The group documented at least 125 civilian fatalities, alleging “widespread field executions” of young men and adult males “without clear distinction between civilians and others.”
The Syrian government has disputed the toll and said an “emergency committee” was tracking claims of abuses, according to the network. It pledged to “refer those who exceeded command instructions during the recent military and security operation to the military court.”