Syria says 14 policemen killed in ambush by forces loyal to al-Assad 

Members of the Syrian police have been killed in an “ambush” by forces loyal to the ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Tartous governorate in the latest security challenge for the new administration that came to power a fortnight ago.

Syria’s new Interior Minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman said on Thursday that “remnants” of the Assad government in Tartous had killed 14 police members and wounded 10 others, vowing to crack down on “anyone who dares to undermine Syria’s security or endanger the lives of its citizens”.

The attack came as protests took place several cities after a video showing vandalising of an Alawite shrine in the city of Aleppo circulated online on Wednesday. Police had imposed curfews in Homs, Latakia, Jableh and Tartous until 8am (05:00 GMT). Al Jazeera could not confirm if the curfew has been lifted.

The interior ministry said on its official Telegram account that the video, which showed armed men walking inside the shrine and posing near human bodies, dated back to the rebel offensive on Aleppo in late November.

The ministry said that the violence was carried out by unknown groups, adding whoever was circulating the video now appeared to be seeking to incite sectarian strife.

State media reported that residents of Homs said that demonstrations in the city were led by members of the minority Alawite and Shia Muslim religious communities.

Some residents said the demonstrations were linked to pressure and violence in recent days aimed at members of the Alawite minority, a sect long seen as loyal to al-Assad, who was toppled by opposition fighters led by the Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) group earlier this month.

Al Jazeera’s Hashem Ahelbarra, reporting from Damascus, described the situation in Syria as extremely delicate now, with flashpoints over the last 48 hours particularly in the Alawite heartland of Latakia and Tartous, as well as Homs and Aleppo.

Hashem said the new administration has brought huge reinforcements to security forces to try to reduce tension in the areas.

“Yesterday, late at night, there were high-level meetings of the new administration about how to move forward, and one of the options is a crackdown on what they describe to be remnants of the old regime, members of the Fourth Division, [which] was the elite presidential guard loyal to Maher al-Assad, brother of the former president,” he said.

“But the new administration is little bit concerned about the potential of a bloody confrontation.”

Assad, who took over as president after his father’s death in 2000, fled to Russia after opposition fighters captured Damascus on December 8, ending more than five decades of Baath Party rule.

The country’s new leaders have repeatedly promised to protect minority religious groups, who fear for their rights under the new administration.

A number of people are believed to be killed and wounded in a separate attack by the former regime forces in the coastal region, according to the interior ministry.