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Fears of civil war as more than 70 people were killed and dozens more wounded in Syria in fighting between government security forces and militants loyal to ousted ruler Bashar al-Assad.

The most violent attacks against the new authorities since the regime was toppled in December. It said earlier that fighting Thursday between government forces and Assad loyalists had killed 48 people in the coastal town of Jableh and adjacent villages, the heartland of Assad's Alawite minority who were considered bastions of support during his rule.

During the operation, security forces captured and arrested a former head of air force intelligence, one of the Assad family's most trusted security agencies. The security forces imposed overnight curfews on Alawite-populated areas, including Latakia, the port city of Tartus and third city Homs.

The escalations erupted after the country's new security forces have been carrying out extensive campaigns seeking to root out Assad loyalists from his former bastions. Residents and organizations have reported violations during those campaigns, including the seizing of homes, field executions and kidnappings. Syria's new authorities have described the violations as "isolated incidents" and vowed to pursue those responsible.