Forces allied with Syria's new rulers have been engaged in fierce fighting with fighters loyal to ousted President Bashar al-Assad in a coastal area of the country.
According to foreign media, this is the worst violence in Syria since rebels overthrew Assad in December and installed an Islamist transitional government.
A war monitoring group, the Britain-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights, said more than 70 people had been killed.
A curfew has been imposed in the port cities of Latakia and Tartous, where fighting has erupted, writes A2 CNN.
The clashes began when government forces were ambushed during a security operation in Latakia.
Reinforcements have been sent and videos posted online show heavy gunfire in several locations.
The coastal region is the heartland of the Alawite minority and a stronghold of the Assad family, who belong to the Alawite sect.
Estimates of the number of people killed during the clashes vary and the BBC has not been able to independently verify the claims.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said on Friday that 71 people had been killed, including 35 members of government forces, 32 gunmen linked to the former regime's army and four civilians.
The clashes left dozens of other people injured, the human rights group said, writes A2 CNN. (A2 Televizion)
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