Syria's new rebel-led government says supporters of ousted President Bashar al-Assad have killed 14 interior minister soldiers in an “ambush” in the west of the country.
They said another 10 soldiers were wounded in Tuesday's battle near the Mediterranean port of Tartous, which is a stronghold of Assad's Alawite Muslim minority.
Reports say security forces were attacked while trying to arrest a former official for his role in the notorious Saydnaya prison, near the capital, Damascus.
Just two weeks ago, Assad's presidency fell to rebels led by the Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS).
The UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights (SOHR) said “three armed men”, which it did not identify, were also killed in the clashes.
SOHR added that security forces later brought in reinforcements.
In another incident, Syrian authorities imposed a curfew in the city of Homs, state media reported.
Reports say this follows the unrest over a video purportedly showing an attack on an Alawite temple.
The Ministry of Interior said that these images are old, from the time of the rebels in Aleppo in late November, and the violence was carried out by unknown groups.
SOHR said one protester was killed and five injured in Homs.
Protests were also reported in areas including the cities of Tartous and Latakia, as well as Assad's hometown of Qardaha.
The Alawites are an offshoot of Shia Islam where most of the political and military leaders of the previous government, including the Assad family.
The community fears retaliation, as members are accused of torture and killings in Syria under Assad.
The ex-police refused to hand over their weapons and the locals in some villages suggested that they want to fight back, which seems to be happening in Tartous.
There are calls by Alawite religious leaders for a general amnesty for Alawites – but this is unlikely due to the many alleged war crimes committed by its members.
Tens of thousands of people were tortured to death in prisons in Syria, thousands of families are still waiting for answers and justice.
The people of Syria demand justice and trial for those involved – the very thing that Alawite members are concerned about.
A lightning attack led by HTS that began in northeastern Syria and spread across the country ended more than 50 years of Assads rule.
Assad and his family were forced to flee to Russia.
HTS has since pledged to protect the rights and freedoms of many religious and ethnic groups in Syria.
This group has been designated as a terrorist organization by the UN, US, EU, UK and others.
On Tuesday, protests broke out across the country over the burning of Christmas trees, prompting new authorities to protect a minority.
Additional reporting by Lina Sinjab in Damascus
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