The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that 71 people had been killed, including 35 members of government forces, 32 gunmen affiliated to the former regime's army, and four civilians. The clashes left tens of others injured, the human rights group said.

The skirmishes along the Mediterranean coast were among the bloodiest since rebels ousted the dictator Bashar al-Assad and installed a transitional government.

A war monitor says that clashes between Syrian security forces and gunmen loyal to former President Bashar Assad in the country’s coastal region have left more than 70 people dead and the area outside government control.