³§²â°ù¾±²¹â€™s new authorities and security forces launched an operation against pro-Assad fighters in Tartous on Thursday, state media said, with three gunmen linked with the former regime killed.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitor confirmed that three people were killed, adding they were "armed men loyal to the former regime" of toppled president Bashar al-Assad.
The official news agency SANA said the operation had succeeded in "neutralising a certain number" of fighters, adding the objective was to "restore security, stability and the civil peace" in the region.
The situation in Tartus province, a stronghold of the Alawite religious community which Assad belonged to, has been tense in recent days.
The operation comes just one day after 14 security personnel from the new authorities were killed in clashes in Tartous, as they were trying to arrest an officer who served under the Assad regime.
The officer they were trying to arrest was reportedly linked to the notorious Sadnaya prison, Arabic media reports stated.
The SOHR said the wanted man, Mohammed Kanjo Hassan, "held the position of director of the military justice department and field court chief" at the notorious Sadnaya prison complex.
It said he had "issued death sentences and arbitrary judgements against thousands of prisoners".
The clashes escalated when "a number of residents refused to allow their houses to be searched", the UK-based rights group said, adding the wanted officer's brother and other armed men had "set up an ambush for" the security forces.
According to °®Âþµºâ€™s Arabic language sister publication, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, ³§²â°ù¾±²¹â€™s interior minister Mohammed Abdul Rahman issued a statement on Wednesday confirming that the 14 officers were killed "after being subjected to a treacherous ambush by remnants of the criminal regime", adding that the officers were trying to perform their duties to maintain security.
The report added that the governor of Tartous, Ahmed al-Shami, met on Wednesday with several dignitaries following the recent clashes and escalation in tension.
He later issued a statement calling for "awareness, reason and dialogue, and for avoiding those who incite tensions and sectarian strife". He also urged people to "work together to open new paths to build a new free Syria that accommodates all its people".
The governor of the neighbouring province of Latakia, Mohammed Othman, also tried to reassure people, saying that "the Syrian government is committed to preserving civil peace and societal cohesion", adding that security and police forces are carrying out their duties to maintain safety and warning people not to be drawn into tensions.
In a separate incident, the SOHR also reported that a civilian was killed, and five others wounded by the Syrian general security on Wednesday in Homs.
The shooting occurred after angry protests erupted in several areas around Syria, including Assad's hometown of Qardaha, over a video showing an attack on an Alawite shrine that circulated online.
It was later revealed that the video was old but was shared on Wednesday, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed reported.
The incident led to senior figures in the Alawite sect in Homs holding a meeting with authorities, where they called on people to hand in their weapons to relevant authorities in a period of five days to ensure stability.
"We, the members of civil society, emphasise the need to reject sectarian slogans and provocative speeches, and we call for an end to media incitement by all means" the dignitaries said in a statement.
The Alawite dignitaries also called on the new Syrian General Command to issue policies to criminalise the use of sectarian speech in all its forms.
Since rebel groups led by Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) toppled the Assad regime earlier this month, they now face the huge task of safeguarding a multi-sectarian and multi-ethnic country as well as tackling many economic and social issues.
³§²â°ù¾±²¹â€™s new interim government has promised to protect minorities, including the Alawite community which Assad hails from.
With 500,000 dead in the war - sparked by Assad's crackdown on democracy protests -and more than 100,000 missing, the new authorities have also pledged justice for the victims of the previous regime.